


To Kill a Silent Princess

by kittmoon



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Death, F/M, Link and Zelda gaining self-confidence, Murder Mystery, Pre-Calamity, Red Herrings!, Sleuthing!, Strong Female Characters, Strong Language, Suspicion and Murder!, Tags may be added, Violence, and Zelink of course, descriptions of dead bodies, i'm so excited to finally be writing a murder mystery you guys, it's a vibe, kind of, longfic, no actual cannon-divergence, obviously, some kissing but that's it, we love to see it, women in STEM
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:27:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittmoon/pseuds/kittmoon
Summary: With the prophecy of Calamity Ganon's return hanging over Hyrule, the King decides to coincide the annual Spring Equinox celebration with a convenient morale boost for the public. But when a knight winds up murdered, floating in the castle's moat, plans go off the rails very quickly. Now investigations are taking place amidst preparations for the ball, and Link and Zelda are both caught up in a whirlwind of events, which proves to be mildly off-putting as they try to juggle their own responsibilities and intertwining fates.As feelings grow, so too does the danger and tension, and with the equinox celebration and even the Princess's life in jeopardy...well. It's time to solve a murder case.Science and suspicion, dancing and deceit, roses and red herrings, and murder at each turn. Pretty sure the prophecy didn't cover this one.tw/ murder&violence, strong languageUpdates Every Friday.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 41





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! Ho boy, this project has been in the works for almost an entire year, and I'm thrilled to finally be sharing it. This first chapter is the prologue - enjoy.

The Pig’s Head Tavern wasn’t the most well-kept place in Castle Town. One could suppose that its cheap prices attracted all types of patrons. The dimly-lit establishment wasn’t known for finely-aged wines nor for comfortable sheets. Thick, greasy liquors were poured into dusty glasses, and hay-padded mattresses creaked as low-ends rocked and rolled back and forth. Chairs of varied quality seated anyone from merchants to mistresses to miners, all served by a keeper named Dalton. 

Dalton, while painfully aware of the tavern’s status, had always felt strangely proud of it’s standing among the locals in West Castle Town. Despite the dismal quality, it still remained a calm, even warm place. He’d concluded many years ago that it was because of the customers - it was interesting to see those used to being unseen gather in a single room and all notice _each other_ \- Dalton would have said that the tavern only hosted those on the lower-class end of town, but, then again...there was Hyrule Castle. 

Located in West Castle Town, the Pigs Head Tavern was situated relatively close to the castle itself, a couple blocks away from the water reservoir. It’s busiest hours were in the evening, with its first round of customers being tired wives who stopped to get a drink before heading home with their water jugs. But after they left, the tavern opened its doors not only to those with nowhere else to go, but also to those who likely had somewhere more important to be. Castle staff would waltz through the door around eleven in the evening, after their duties were complete for the day. Maids drifted in, often in small groups, gossiping aimlessly while castle guards wandered up to the bar and asked for the strongest drinks available. Whoever it was who came in, their profile was always the same - subservient, underpaid, but still glamorous. Always serving someone else, but still above the common folk. Earning a bed behind the castle walls supplied them with timid confidence. 

It was the knights who were different. 

The knights of Hyrule Castle wouldn’t come in all the time - only on a birthday. Eleven years ago, back when Grand Master Koden was a mere captain, the Pig’s Head Tavern was his favorite place to celebrate. Dalton knew Koden well by now, and despite his higher standing in the Hyrulian military he still came in for a good pint every once and awhile. Of course, since then it had become a tradition for knights to celebrate their birthdays at the Pig’s Head Tavern, always ordering what had then been Koden’s favorite drink, before he’d earned the title of Grand Master and began a much more responsible drinking schedule - Eldin purple whisky. Brewed in the hot springs of Death Mountain, the minerals in the water turned the liquid to a striking violet color. Not for the faint of heart, the drink was always served warm with a squeeze of lime. Dalton found it ghastly but served it nonetheless. 

He still served it, despite the fact that the knights that came in every month or so had a habit of turning his tavern into a noise complaint. This evening was no different. 

Over the course of an hour, he registered more loud voices entering the bar as he sat in the back room with his billing notebook. He rolled his eyes, having heard a long time ago from Koden that the knights of Hyrule Castle tended to be the most entitled, and that didn’t surprise him in the least. 

“Gimme the usual, and make it fast.”

“Yeah, hurry it up over there!”

“Let her take her time, man. Ain’t her fault she’s slow...she’s taking her time to show us her handwork…”

Even so, as much as he didn’t like catering to their attitudes, business was business. Dalton sighed and stood up, walking out of the back room and up the stairs, which led to the space behind the bar. The bartender was in the process of cleaning a glass, clearly trying her best to ignore their comments, when Dalton tapped her on the shoulder. 

“Let me handle this shift, Kika,” he murmured. “I know how to handle them.”

Kika rolled her eyes, but still nodded, glancing at him with a grateful expression. Kika was a good bartender, and had been working for Dalton for a little while, but she never seemed to know how to handle the jabs from what were supposed to be the most dignified men in Hyrule. He couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t exactly easy to throw kights back onto the street. 

She turned to leave. “I’ll take care of the bill book. That one…” She nodded to a blonde knight who looked to be around thirty. “He’ll have a glass of Illumeni cider.” Dalton heard her mutter “asshole” as she walked down the stairs. 

As he turned to prepare the man’s drink, the aforementioned knight glanced after Kika, turning to whisper something to his friend. The two of them laughed haughtily. 

“I hope you all are aware that drinking is strictly illegal for men of your caliber,” Dalton said dryly, placing the cider in front of the blonde knight. It was true - knights weren’t allowed to drink outside of the castle, by the barest of technicalities. Not that it was a rule that was enforced. 

The blonde knight scoffed, predictably. “So? What are you gonna do, tattle to the King?” He swung the cider back in a single loud gulp as his fellow knights sniggered. 

Just then, the bar’s door swung open, and in walked Winston. A knight in his mid-forties, Winston was a man whom Dalton rather liked - a good-natured servant to the kingdom. He used to come in with Koden, back when he was a young knight and Koden was a captain. Dalton grinned at Winston as he walked up to the bar.

“Dalton, how are you?” Winston took off his cloak, hanging it on the barstool before slamming his fist down onto the counter. “I’m definitely excited to celebrate tonight; it’s been a long week.”

Dalton nodded. “I’m sure that’s true, with the equinox celebration coming up.” He tilted his head. “Let me guess, the purple whisky?”

Winston blinked, then chuckled. “Ho, no, it isn’t my birthday. That knight’s name is Kai...” He took a moment to look around. “Looks like he isn’t here yet.” Stretching his shoulders, he continued, “Yes. The ball is fast-approaching for the royals, so security preparations are being made.” He glanced at the other knights, who sat a few chairs to Winston’s right. At Winston’s entrance, the young men had muffled their jaunts, now murmuring amongst themselves. 

Dalton raised his eyebrows. “I hope they don’t talk to you the same way they talk to my staff.”

Winston rolled his eyes. “They aren’t the best of crowds; I apologize for that. Unfortunately I’m only the standard bearer for the squires, so they don’t answer to me, not anymore.”

“I see.”

“Yeah.” Winston stretched his shoulders back once more. “I’ll take a safflina gin and tonic.” 

Glass in hand, Dalton began to pour the requested drink. The knights had come in late in the evening as usual, and they weren’t the only ones from the castle. Two men wearing work aprons strode in and sat at a corner table, followed by a group of five or so women wearing uniform barrettes, who settled at a booth, squished against each other as they giggled excitedly. 

As he poured the fizzling tonic water into the glass, Dalton nodded towards the knights. “What are they whispering about, then?”

Winston sighed. “Well-- it’s not something we try to advertise throughout the militia, but. There’s a rumor that Roderick is planning on instituting a new captain.” He accepted the glass from Dalton, taking a thoughtful sip. “Even I don’t know the details of who, or why.” 

Dalton was familiar with the Order’s hierarchy. His mother had served, back in the day. When she was a knight, Koden had been one as well. Now he was the Grand Master - the ultimate authority regarding the entire Hyrulian military, second only to the King. The Grand Master had regional commanders - Roderick was the commander of the soldiers located in Castle Town, which also put him in charge of the castle’s knights. Each commander had one or two captains, who assisted them in strategy. Below them, of course, were the soldiers and knights, and below them were the squires, who essentially did chores for the military stations until they one day became knights. A complicated setup, maybe, but Dalton had spent a lifetime observing it, only having considered serving when he was younger. “Doesn’t Roderick already have a captain?” Dalton asked.

Winston shrugged. “Yeah, he does. Edeline is a good captain by all accounts, so I can’t imagine he’d replace her. Maybe he’s choosing someone in addition.” 

Dalton glanced over at the group of knights, who were still talking animatedly amongst themselves. The blonde knight, who apparently seemed to be the leader of the group, had an arrogant grin on his face as he murmured something to his friends. They suddenly roared with laughter, making a few other patrons look up in wonder and annoyance. “...One of ‘em in line, then?”

Winston chanced a look at them as well, furrowing his eyebrows. “What, to become the next captain?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t say. I certainly hope not. Though…”

It was then that the tavern’s door swung open, and two men walked in. Both looked to be rather young, perhaps in their late teens or early twenties. They wore similar outfits: a black cotton shirt, brown trousers, and a belt with holsters that held small, dagger-like weapons. This was the typical off-duty uniform for a knight in the company; the other men were dressed in a similar fashion. At their entrance, the knights turned around and began cheering. 

The blonde knight stood up as the two men approached. “There’s the birthday boy!” he exclaimed loudly, clapping the taller one roughly on the back. 

The birthday boy in question smiled bashfully, though he looked uneasy. “You don’t need to make such a big deal of it, Harker.”

The blonde knight - Harker, evidently - snorted and rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Kai, don’t be such a--” He stopped suddenly, turning to the other boy who’d walked in with him. “Why’s _he_ here?”

Before the he could react, Kai spoke for him. “Benji looked a little lonely, so I asked him to tag along. My birthday, innit?”

Harker scoffed. “He’s a fucking squire. Not allowed to drink, idiot, so what good is he here?” 

Winston turned to face them, then, holding up his gin and tonic in mock cheer. “Neither are you, I’d like to point out.”

The knights all suddenly hung their heads, minus Harker, who rolled his eyes again, and Benji, who blinked at Winston before performing a quick salute. “Sir.”

“At ease, Benji. I’m only joshing.” Winston eyed the others. “We’re here to celebrate Kai’s birthday. A little respect, please.”

Following this, there were mumbles of, “apologies, sir,” with Kai and Benji both looking uncomfortable. 

As the knights went back to talking, Dalton raised his eyebrows. “Why don’t you enforce the drinking rule? I know I’ve asked you before, but--”

Winston shrugged again. “Only Benji is under my authority, as a squire, but even so, it’s. Only technically illegal if they’re on-duty, which they aren’t.”

“I thought they weren’t allowed to drink, period.”

“It is generally frowned upon, yes.” Winston muttered, taking a larger-than-necessary sip of his gin and tonic.

To break the tension, Dalton turned to face Kai and Benji. “What can I get you two to start?”

Benji glanced sideways at Winston, who nodded. Benji grinned. “Short glass of Lurelin rum.”

Dalton took out the almost-empty bottle of rum, pouring the liquid into a small glass and passing it off to the squire, who took it gratefully and sipped a timid taste. Smiling wider, he turned to Kai. “You gonna order the special?”

Kai shook his head. “Probably not now, maybe later.”

The two went and sat near the other knights. Winston continued sitting at the bar as more patrons wandered up and ordered drinks. The men continued to throw back pints of beer and cider, their voices getting increasingly louder. 

“Ay, Harker!” one of them snorted. “Heard you’ve been in Roderick’s favor.” 

“He’s gonna become the new Cap!” another shouted, causing those around him to whoop in agreement. 

Harker sat up straight, taking a huge swig from his third pint. “Edeline’s a bitch. You all watch. Commander’s gonna kick Edeline and promote me - then that’ll be where it’s at.”

At that, several of the knights slammed their hands down on the table in apparent agreement. Harker shoved Kai in the shoulder. “C’mon, man, don’t you agree?”

Kai, who was in the middle of sipping some water, coughed a little. “No no, yeah, I think it’d be...great, if you were Captain.” He shifted in his seat. “Isn’t all this just based on rumors, though?”

There was murmuring among the knights. “I think he’s jealous, Harker,” one of the other men sniggered. 

“Yeah. Wants the Cap position for himself.”

Harker stood up and glared down at Kai, who looked only mildly surprised that the conversation had escalated. _“That so,_ birthday boy?”

Kai shook his head. “Never said that, man.”

Benji, who sat next to Kai, swallowed. “He didn’t.”

Harker took a sideways glance towards Winston before sitting back down. “Better not have…” he muttered. 

As the conversation fell back into its normal rhythm, Dalton turned to Winston, who sipped his second gin and tonic with no mind towards the knights. “Hope they don’t talk to the Commander that way,” he huffed. 

Winston calmly put his drink down. “They wouldn’t dare. But again, they’re off-duty, and even I can’t write them up for being dimwitted dickwads outside of work.”

“Harsh.”

“But true.” Winston began playing with his glass, tipping it in circles on the wooden counter. “Not all of them were squires before joining the knight’s order. Believe me, if they had been, I would’ve socked that behavior right out of them.” He sighed the sigh of a tired man. “Another one, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Dalton took out the safflina gin from under the counter, grunting as he stood back up. “Speaking of which. How’s that lad of yours?”

Winston continued to spin his glass. “Link is alright. He recently became the Princess’s personal escort, ‘case you haven’t heard.”

Dalton hadn’t. “Did he? That’s quite the honor.”

Winston nodded. “It’s a big responsibility, but he’s handling it well. Been a few months. He and the Princess actually seem to tolerate each other’s company, now.”

“Used to hate each other, did they?” Dalton asked, handing Winston a freshly made gin and tonic. 

“I’m not sure how he felt about her - probably revered her a little, same as we all do - but she definitely disliked him.” At Dalton’s questioning look, he continued. “She would ditch him, often. Try to get away from his watch. She’d give him looks, refuse to acknowledge him...it was something I wasn’t sure about, because she isn’t just his charge, she’s...his partner in destiny. The other half of the prophecy, y’know?” 

It was a heavy burden on the entire kingdom, that. The knowledge that Calamity Ganon would return and destroy the kingdom if not for the growing efforts of the Hero and the Princess. Dalton knew many people who were hopeful, and he knew even more people who weren’t even worried about the Calamity’s return, due to their trust in the Princess and her knight. The nonchalance of it worried him. 

Winston took a careful sip of his drink. “...Either way. Whatever bias the Princess had, they seem to be over it now. I’ve even seen them exchanging a word or two.” 

Dalton raised an eyebrow. 

Winston chuckled. “Small steps.”

“Damn straight,” Harker said suddenly, turning his chair towards the two men. “Link’s got the luckiest job in all of Hyrule. Looking after the Princess…”

One of the other knights snorted. “I thought you wanted to become captain.” 

“Oh, please. Imagine being in _his_ position,” Harker said. “The chance to bang the Princess is worth trading even a Cap’s salary.”

Kai gaped at Harker as Benji choked on his rum, and the entire group of knights erupted in laughter. Dalton took notice of Winston’s fist, which had tightened around his glass. 

This action was also not lost on Harker, who turned to fully face Winston and gave an obnoxious smirk, shrugging his shoulders in mock apology. “Sorry, old man. No disrespect towards the Princess, of course--” Interrupted by more wheezes from the knights, Harker’s grin grew even wider, and he continued, “ _\--of course,_ but honestly. All that potential stuffed up in that tiny body...no wonder she hates prayer, when it goes against everything she needs…”

Winston made eye contact with Dalton, and Dalton merely looked back, not exactly willing to be the one to push this interaction forward to unnecessary levels. He heard Kai, who’d stood up from his seat amidst the laughter. “C’mon, Harker, that’s enough…”

Harker shook him off. “Only a shame Link isn’t here, then we could all ask him what he and the Princess get up to on those...what even are they, fun-time horse rides…” Harker was laughing hard now, with the rest of the men, minus Kai and Benji, who both looked like they wanted to sink into the floor. 

Winston took Harker’s pause to stand and face the knights fully. At the scrape of his chair sliding back, several of the men slowed their chuckles, and Dalton noticed them become significantly smaller under Winston’s harsh gaze. 

“I’m ashamed of all of you,” Winston admonished, placing his drink down onto the counter. “Disrespecting the Princess under my watch will not be tolerated.” 

Harker, not to be swayed from his moment of humor, tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. “Well, _someone’s_ had a little too much to drink,” he said, his voice full of a crudeness that would have left Dalton at a loss for words. 

There were small gasps from the knights. Winston took a step forward. “I’d watch your tone--”

Harker took another humongous gulp of cider, huffing out a laugh. “Oh, _please,_ don’t get butthurt over jokes about your kid, Winston.” He took an equal step towards him. “I’m absolutely a much better judge of the situation than you. You’re blind if you don’t think he’s smitten with the--”

Winston, evidently pushed too far, took several more steps towards Harker, looming over the knight while not laying a single finger on him. Harker shut his mouth, but met Winston’s glare with a tipsy equivalent, standing his ground. Dalton noticed that, not only had the knights gone quiet, but so had a portion of the other patrons, now staring in blatant curiosity at the smackdown that would come. 

“That is no way to talk to your superior,” Winston growled.

Harker crossed his arms. “What’ll you do? Report me?”

There was a thick silence now, as the majority of the room had been dwindled to mere whispers. The other castle staff stared with wide eyes, and Dalton wondered if any of them knew Winston or Harker personally. Winston did not answer Harker’s question right away, which seemed to irk Harker. _”Well?”_

To Dalton’s surprise, Winston merely stepped back, away from Harker. In a calm voice, he replied, “No, definitely not. Audacity doesn’t constitute a report.”

Harker’s face showed brief bafflement before he schooled his expression, now looking twice as annoyed. Kai, who’s face had gone from appallment to plain and unmasked interest, merely huffed. 

Winston shook his head. “What I can and _will_ do is unofficially report this behavior to the Commander,” he sighed. It seemed to be more from tiredness than disappointment, as though he hadn’t expected any better from Harker. “All disrespect does is kick you off the standing to become a captain.”

With that, Winston turned back to Dalton. “I’m headed out; how much do I owe you?”

Dalton heaved a chuckle, as this entire situation had suddenly become the funniest thing he’d ever seen. “Seventeen rupees.”

Winston took out his pouch and began counting out the exact change. Behind him, Harker managed to find his voice, though the force behind it was a tad more uncertain. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, old man,” he said, walking over to stand directly behind him. Winston paid Harker no mind as he continued, “Got years of experience, followed the exact knight’s code to a T. I’ve had a spotless record on the battlefield.”

Still focused on his money, Winston muttered, “What, you think we don’t take character into account when deciding who rises in rank?”

At this, Benji snorted, and Harker’s eyes sharpened. “I--”

Seemingly giving up on precise counts, Winston placed a red rupee on the counter. “Keep the change, Dalton.” Dalton nodded appreciatively, swiping up the gem and placing it into a jar under the counter. 

“Are you even _listening_ to me?” Harker snarled as Winston turned, grabbing his cloak off of the barstool and throwing it on. By now, the bar had gone back to the din of casual conversation, though the knights were still looking at Harker and Winston with rapt attention. 

Winston glanced sideways at Harker, adjusting the button on his cloak. “I am, yes. You’d still be the last person I’d pick, if I were the Commander.” He turned to Kai, who sat in his seat with his head on his fist, amused. “Hope you have a good rest of your birthday, Kai.”

There was an almost comic amount of “oooohs” that followed, the knights roaring once again with laughter as Winston exited through the door. Harker looked a more than a little red in the face, not helping matters by taking a final swig from his glass of cider and slamming it down on the bar counter. 

Before Dalton could say anything, Harker narrowed his eyes and spat, “I don’t wanna hear it from you.”

He turned to face his fellow knights, who were all still snickering at his expense, even Kai and Benji, who both seemed to be enjoying Harker’s embarrassment. Breathing hard, Harker turned back around to Dalton and muttered, “A round of beer for the tables. Now, if you wouldn’t mind,” he added, the spite in his voice no secret at this point. 

“HA! Buyin’ us drinks, fellas!” one of the men declared. There were more cheers and hoots of laughter. 

Dalton sighed, pulling out pint glasses to serve them all beer. Business was business. 

\---:::---

It was nearing one o’clock in the morning, and several patrons had left. By now, the knights were on their 4th round of beer, and Dalton could hear the cacophony their voices created from his seat in the back room. The knights were no longer his main concern, though - by now, he was preoccupied, filing through stock reports with Kika. 

“We’ll need a full restock, with the festival coming up. Last I checked, we needed more wildberry liqueur, and I think more Lurelin rum,” Kika noted, shifting through her pile of papers. 

“Shit, you’re right. I gave that squire the last of the rum.” Dalton muttered.

“Well, it’s the only rum we have, so we better put in an order for more,” she said, and took out her notebook. “I’ll let the stockboy know.” 

“Right.”

Kika paused in her writings, eyes trailing up the stairs. A look at her told Dalton that she had noticed just how loud the knights were getting. “...They do know that we close in an hour, right?”

“None of my business nor my concern, ‘least not until 2AM rolls around,” he replied, but she was right. Taking into account how abrasive the group of them had already been, it may be difficult to kick them out if they got any drunker. 

After waiting a long moment, he stood up, stretching out his back. “...You keep working, I’ll head up and let them know, see if anyone needs anything.”

Kika nodded absently, back to being fully absorbed in her papers. Upstairs, Dalton had set one of his other employees to work behind the bar. Seeing Dalton coming up the stairs, the young man immediately paused his action of cleaning glassware, giving his boss a questioning look. 

“Start cleaning up a bit; I’ll handle this for a while,” Dalton said, waving him away. The boy took a rag and some soap water to go wipe down the tables. 

The knights certainly were loud, and it didn’t surprise Dalton at all to see Harker in the middle of it. At Dalton’s entrance, the squire, Benji, looked up and grinned, taking Kai by the wrist and leading him closer to the bar. Kai seemed hesitant, but followed regardless. 

“My friend here still hasn’t had his birthday special, and I think it’s about time he had a real drink,” Benji snickered, pulling his friend up to the counter. 

Kai, who seemed far more sober than the rest of these men, shrugged. “I guess so,” he relented, though he didn’t seem keen on it. Dalton couldn’t blame the kid; Eldin purple whisky had a strong flavor with, frankly, a disgusting aftertaste. Among the knightly Order it’d become less of a celebratory drink and more of a test of birthday courage. Still, Dalton reached for the stout bottle, becoming dusty sitting towards the back of the bottom shelf, and poured it swiftly into a curved whisky glass. He took a slice of lime from a nearby porcelain dish, squeezing some of its juice into the purple liquid before sliding the glass across the counter.

The knights, seeing this new development of the birthday boy _finally_ drinking the required drink, quickly whipped their heads around to watch. Benji took the drink, swirled it a little, grinned, then handed it to Kai. 

Harker laughed aloud, drawing attention from the other knights. “Finally!” he hiccupped. “Gods, been waiting for this kid to get wasted properly.”

Kai grimaced, passing the drink back and forth between his hands before taking a tentative sip. Immediately, he recoiled, coughing as the burn of the whisky hit the back of his throat. Even Dalton found a small amount of amusement in the knight’s face, and the other men began howling, calling attention from other patrons, who looked on with great interest. 

Benji chuckled. “You have fun with that, Kai. I’m headed back to the castle.”

“Oh, sure,” Kai responded in a raspy voice. 

“Just because there’s a birthday happening doesn’t mean we squires get to sleep in.” He took out ten rupees and placed them carefully onto the counter, which Dalton collected. “I’ll see you,” Benji said, grabbing his satchel and walking out towards the door. Before he left, he nodded to Dalton in thanks. Dalton waved genially back.

“See ya,” Kai muttered, staring back down at his drink in mild discomfort. 

Twenty minutes passed, during which time several customers either left or asked for a room. Over by the other end of the counter, Harker clapped Kai on the back, startling Kai and making his drink slosh and spill a little. Harker laughed very loudly at this, as did a few other men. Dalton wondered vaguely if they laughed at each other while sober, too. 

“C’mon man...you’ve only taken a sip of that stuff, drink up and get a whore for the night…” Harker sniggered. He leaned heavily on Kai, who seemed further and further out of his element with each passing moment. “Might get one of ‘em young n’ pretty ones for myself, y’know.”

Kai rolled his eyes, placing his drink back down on the counter. “Gross. Aren’t you, like, thirty?”

One of the other knights spoke up, holding up his glass of beer in mock cheer, just as Winston had done earlier. “Yeah, Harker!” he slurred. “Little old for that kinda pussy, ain’t ya?”

The men once again began wheezing in perilous laughter, while Kai grew red in the face. Harker whirled to face the others. “Really? Oh please, there’ll be lots of young chicks at the ball, and even more at the town festival...none of you--” He paused to hiccup. “--said that when I was talkin’ about doing Zelda herself!”

There were hiccups and drunken cackles. Kai seemed to have reached his limit, grabbing Harker by the shoulder and turning his fellow knight to face him. Harker grinned wide. “What do you want?”

“Take it,” Kai murmured, tightly. “Go ahead and take the drink, and share it with the others. I’m done for the night.”

Harker seemed momentarily surprised before heaving out a thick laugh. “You serious? Never knew you were such a chicken, man.”

“You’re all drunk. Might as well. I’d rather wake up with no hangover.” Kai glanced at Dalton. “Thanks for everything, sorry about my mates here.”

Dalton shook his head. “It’s no problem. Business is business.” He held his hand out. “Speaking of, believe you owe me ten rupees.” 

Kai pulled out the rupees from his back pocket and placed them in Dalton’s hand. “Have a good night,” he said, turning to go. 

“You too,” Dalton called over the roar of the knights, cheering and hollering as Harker chugged - _chugged_ \- the entire rest of the whisky in one fell swoop. Coughing and gagging, he fell into a nearby booth as his laughing comrades surrounded him. 

Dalton couldn’t explain the feeling, but an ominous sensation suddenly sunk low into his stomach, like a heavy stone. As he looked at the knights gathered there, he felt a strong sense of foreboding. Something--

“Dalton.”

He turned. Kika had come up the stairs, and was holding out her hand. “I need the jar to count earnings for the night.”

Shaking out of his reverie, Dalton muttered, “Right, right,” and reached for the jar of rupees, handing it to her. 

She looked past him, over his shoulder at the group of men, still loud and obnoxious. “Still waiting on these idiots?” she asked quietly.

“...Yeah.” He soundly clapped his hands. “Alright, boys. Tavern’s closing in half an hour!”

There was a round of moans and groans as the men stood up and began to gather their rupees to pay their tabs. 

Regardless, Dalton could at least rely on business, it seemed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for making you guys wait an entire chapter for Link's POV i'm awful

The dining room of Hyrule Castle was in theory a pinnacle of luxury for Hyrulian life. Rich velvet table runners ran along fine-cut oak tables. A grand balcony left room for sky light to shine across noble faces, combined with the gem-cut glow off of ceiling chandeliers. A warm fire crackled quietly in a grand fireplace, livening up the room with the deliciously subtle scent of pinewood. There was a long table in the center, at which the royals sat beside advisors, heads of militia, and other members of the King’s court. Several square tables in each corner of the room sat high-caliber stewards, priestesses, and bookkeepers. A perfectly organized union of some of the castle’s best and brightest, all gathered to discuss the goings-on of royal life over high-quality meals - a paradise for modern interaction. 

All of this was beginning to blur together as Link wondered, not for the first time today, when he’d finally get to eat. 

Knights and castle soldiers weren’t meant to eat in the dining room. Instead, their job was to stand. And wait. For some catastrophe. 

Link had been in this job far too long to continually find it annoying - now he just found it tiresome. He stood in his designated position by the fireplace, a few meters behind the Princess’s seat at the head of the table near her father, the King. In case of an emergency, he was to take the Princess out of the dining room and across the hall, into the soldier’s passageways - he tried to remind himself of this fact every few minutes, as that’s what he and the soldiers were positioned here for. A disaster. Or, as Link knew it by now to be, to create an illusion of safety for those who dined here. 

Military men stood straight, lining the walls, with a royal knight standing between every six soldiers. Each knight was dressed in nearly full armor, gleaming with a perfect metal shine, in all their seriousness. Link was the only knight who wasn’t dressed that way, instead standing still in his Champion’s tunic. Unlike the other men, who only had daily shifts, Link was here for every meal, stationed behind the Princess. It took all of his control to keep his stomach from growling. 

It felt boyish to be this hungry, but he and the Princess hadn’t gotten a chance to eat that afternoon. A meeting with the King and his bookkeepers had gone on far longer than expected, leaving both of them admittedly peckish, and downright starving by the evening, following a long afternoon of prayers and other business Link couldn’t bother to remember. She’d given him an apologetic look as she left him to go sit at the table, uncomfortably shifting into place beside her father. 

Tonight they were having roasted quail with white rice and field greens, with glasses of purified water and champagne. It certainly smelled delicious, and Link couldn’t imagine potentially waiting another hour before he was dismissed to dinner. His stomach twisted restlessly as he kept his eyes on the opposite wall. _Focus._

To distract himself, he looked towards the balcony, careful not to shift his stance too much. The balcony left a perfect view of the full moon, shining high and bright over Hyrule Field, which could only just be seen from this position within the castle. Link repeated a different rule in his mind: in case of an emergency where the hallway path was compromised, he was to take the Princess out onto the balcony and down to the path below to rush her around the castle’s edge. From there, he needed to--

His train of thought was interrupted with the _tink_ of a spoon hitting a champagne glass. It was the King, who’d stood up amidst the discussions of the evening, holding up his glass in means to call attention. The room gradually quieted down, all eyes turning to the head of the table. Link stood up straight, gazing attentively towards the back of the King’s head. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, his rumbling voice carrying throughout the room quite easily. “As you all know, the celebration of the spring equinox is rapidly approaching. By next week, preparations for the ball will be in full swing.”

 _Right, that._ Link had known that the ball, as well as the town festival that celebrated the equinox, was coming soon, though he’d forgotten exactly when it would be. He was sure that the Princess had been fully aware - it was probably what that meeting with her father had been about. 

At the King’s mention of the ball, there were nods and mumbles of acknowledgement. Castle staff tended to have a love-hate relationship with events like these - so much work, so little payoff, but so, _so_ much glamor. High praise was given to those who worked behind the castle walls, and there was a huge feeling of communal accomplishment that came as a package deal. Preparation at the ground level had already begun, with the kitchens planning the foodstuffs and the tailors beginning to craft top-notch ball gowns. 

“Details for the celebration, as well as that of your tasks, will be passed down by tomorrow evening. My daughter and I are counting on all of you to make the night of the ball the best and brightest it has ever been.”

There were general cheers of agreement, but Link noticed, then, that the Princess’s shoulders tensed. He could barely see her, with her back hidden behind her chair, though he didn’t miss the body language that he could see. He wondered if the “my daughter and I” part of the King’s announcement hadn’t actually been discussed. 

The King clinked his glass again, and the talking fell to a swift silence. “With the arrival of the equinox comes the arrival of other nobles, from different parts of Hyrule. Among them, my brother, the Earl Amos of Hebra, and his daughter, the Lady Miara, are traveling tomorrow, and are to arrive by tomorrow evening.” The King’s tense posture could be seen from behind as well, matching the Princess’s stiff shoulders and straightened back. “It will be the first time in several years that they attend any kind of royal event at the castle…” 

A brief but heavy silence fell over the dining hall as the King paused, before continuing in a gentler tone, “...ever since the loss of Amos’s lovely wife, the Countess Dalia.”

The silence grew thick as members of the royal court bowed their heads in mournful respect. Link and the other knights followed suit, though the soldiers remained stationed with their gazes forward.

Link couldn’t help being curious at this. The thought of meeting the Princess’s extended family was rather daunting, being who he was, and they being who they were. He honestly had never heard anything about the Earl, much less Lady Miara. As far as he’d ever been aware, they hadn’t attended the ball in the years he’d been at the castle for it. Before now he’d never even heard mention of them, though he knew that they existed, as it was common knowledge that the King had previously been an Earl before marrying into the royal family. Link had assumed that they were somehow estranged, though now it was clear that they hadn’t traveled much since the Countess’s passing. 

The King spoke again. “I expect those here at Hyrule Castle to treat them, as well as other incoming nobility, with the utmost respect. Thank you.”

With his speech ending rather abruptly, the King sat down and continued eating. The rest of those in the room continued their meals awkwardly, whispering quietly amongst themselves for a few minutes before gradually raising their conversations back to a normal volume. 

Dessert was served soon after - wildberry rice pudding. Link closed his eyes once, taking in a deep sniff and absorbing the delicious scent of fruit and cream before settling his breath, opening his eyes and staring straight ahead once again.

\---:::---

Luckily, Link didn’t need to wait much longer. The Princess finished her pudding early and decided to depart then and there, with Link following suit. He could already tell something was off, with the way she began speed walking down the hall the second she was out of earshot from those in the dining room. Her shoulders were just as tense as they had been twenty minutes earlier. 

She began talking, fast, on their way back up to her chambers, and Link found himself trying to keep up. 

“Honestly, what could he have possibly meant by, ‘my daughter and I,’ when I have absolutely _no_ authority over how the celebration plays out,” she was saying. “Now he’s acting as though I have actual tasks, regarding this…”

Link followed her as she began to climb the stairs, two at a time. “...If this is his way of introducing a new responsibility to me before I turn seventeen, he can’t. I absolutely will not have it.”

It wasn’t often that she got this wound up. Choosing not to respond, Link instead decided to match her speed in an attempt to show her he was listening. A few evening maids looked up from their tidying to curiously watch them pass by.

As they rounded a corner, she continued. “My main responsibility is devotion. It wouldn’t be wise, by any account, to add on the preparation for the Equinox Ball. That leaves me no time to do my research, which I already have so little time for…”

The Princess slowed a bit as they began ascending a second set of stairs. She turned to look at him and sigh. “I can at least assume that he’ll have me keep watch over Miara while he and my Uncle go over the list of arriving nobility.”

The Equinox Ball was a specific event meant for the Hyrulian upper-class, Link knew - a mirror to the festival for the common folk. Before this year he had never been directly involved with it, even after he’d already been established as...who he was. Being the Champion chosen by the Goddess herself meant being paraded around a lot, but never at celebrations like these that had nothing to do with the Calamity’s impending doom. It wasn’t exactly a good party-starter. 

However, part of what she said caught his attention. He cleared his throat - “Lady Miara...I haven’t heard much about her.”

There was a pause as she once again sped up, but this time it was to walk up a few stairs ahead of him and turn fully to face him with a slightly eager expression. 

Though the two of them were on friendly terms by now, it still wasn’t often that Link spoke up, or said much to her at all. Whatever the subject, the Princess always seemed a little pleased whenever she found herself in a full-on conversation with him. Link tended to feel almost bashful in these moments, as if she’d caught him in the act of doing something he wasn’t supposed to.

Eyebrows still raised, she shrugged. “They aren’t shunned from the castle, really, they just...my uncle and cousin have rarely traveled since the death of the Countess.” After a pause, she said, “It must be just shy of five years, now.”

Link nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry.”

She simply shook her head, turning away and continuing up the stairwell. Link hurried to step-in beside her. 

“It’s quite alright. I was never close with my aunt. I can’t say I’ve ever had any memorable interactions with her…she was often bedridden whenever we visited their mansion in Hebra.”

Reaching the top of the stairs, they crossed the hall and began climbing a third staircase, one that spiraled up towards a section of royal chambers and guest beds.

“Miara and my uncle have come to the castle a _few_ times since the Countess Dalia’s passing,” she continued. She wasn’t rushing anymore, instead walking at a steady pace that was easy for him to keep up with. “Though this will be the first time that they’ve attended a royal event since then.”

Link nodded, though she wasn’t looking at him. 

“She’s around my age, you know, just a little older - I believe she recently turned nineteen.”

 _Oh._ Link had definitely imagined someone younger. His image of Lady Miara had now changed from a child moving on from her mother’s death to a near-adult. What would she be like, compared to the Princess?

As the two of them reached the top of the steps, she appeared to ponder something for a few seconds before speaking again. “I wonder if they’ll have you make any contribution this year, being...who you are.”

“Do you...think so?”

“It’s possible. If I’m to be involved, it likely has to do with the prophecy, meaning you would be involved as well.”

 _Gods, seriously?_ Link tried to hide the discomfort that suddenly settled in his gut. The thought of being a performing factor for the ball made him incredibly anxious. He’d been heralded enough, surely.

He must have made a face, because the Princess shook her head quickly. “I wouldn’t want it anymore than you would...not that I- not that I would be _bitter,_ of course, I just- I would hate to put you on display in some way…” she stumbled, flustered. 

Link held himself back from chuckling. Ever since he’d saved her from the Yiga soldiers outside of Kara Kara Bazaar, she’d made every attempt to treat him more kindly. This had come as a surprise to Link, who’d before had resigned himself to the fate of her constant scorn. Still, he wasn’t complaining, as now he was met with smiles instead of stony silence, which he appreciated all the more. “I know what you mean, Princess.”

She gave a sheepish grin, a rare expression from her. “Indeed.”

He walked her down the hall, at the end of which was the large, ornate door that led to her bedroom. At the door, Link stepped back and allowed her to open it; the chivalrous show of good faith. Before she shut the door behind her, she turned to look back at him. 

“I have morning prayers, but after that I’ll be seeing Purah and Robbie at the tech lab to discuss some findings, regarding the ancient technology that’s recently been excavated.” When Link nodded, she continued. “You’re free to take an hour, potentially more, off-duty during that time. The laboratory has more than enough guards to keep me safe.”

Link was hesitant about that. It felt wrong to just leave her there, so he supposed he’d see how the situation actually looked tomorrow before leaving her with Purah and Robbie. With only an hour, he might just circle back to the training field and practice some drills. 

The Princess smiled. “Well, that will be all. Goodnight, Link.”

He gave a short but courteous bow. “Princess.”

As she shut her door, Link let out a long exhale, stretching his shoulders. He was definitely still hungry, and now he was finally free to eat dinner.

As he wound his way back down the stairs, he thought about what the Princess had said. _A contribution to the Equinox Ball._ Maybe it _will_ have to do with the Calamity. 

It wasn’t a secret that Calamity Ganon’s return was fast-approaching. The entire kingdom was still milling about their business, but the air was uncertain, and Link was sure that Hyrule’s citizens would look to the royal governing body for direction when the time came. It was possible that this year’s equinox celebration would double as a convenient morale boost - but for the entire kingdom? Only the residents of Castle Town, and maybe a few villages close to Central Hyrule, celebrated the equinox - at least in this fashion. Would he really have a role in all of this? 

Over the course of a few minutes Link swiftly made his way down to the mess hall, where the castle soldiers and royal knights ate together. He heard their echoes as he descended the stairs into the hall, their brazen voices ringing along the ancient stone. The room had a very high ceiling - two wagon-wheel chandeliers hung down with thick ropes, and tall overarching windows gave view to the sky. In a sense it was a less-glamorous version of the castle’s royal dining hall. 

Several long tables sat almost every member of the castle’s common military, with another large table in the corner holding pans and pots of broiled meat, vegetable stew, and rice. As Link sped past a few tables, several soldiers stopped eating to watch him pass. A few paused their conversations to nod, or occasionally look away, shy. This happened every evening, and Link tried every time to ignore their admiring looks and blatant gaping. It seemed that as the weeks wore on, more and more people became comfortable with seeing him as a high figure. It bothered Link, who honestly wished he could leave the Master Sword in his room for a day, to walk through the castle with a few layers of prestige stripped off. 

Grabbing a plate, he heaped two thick slices of steak onto it, with more than a couple of ladles of stew. As he served himself multiple spoonfuls of rice, his stomach let out an intense growl. He was _hungry._

“Hey, Link!”

Looking over his shoulder, he saw a familiar face waving at him from the nearest table, with messy black hair and an eager grin. Kai was a fellow knight, a few years older than Link, and was generally respected among those in the Order for being an overall eager and charming guy. He and Link had been friendly for years, even as Link’s fame grew, which had been a personal comfort. “Bet you haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Kai said. 

Link took his plate and sat at the table, across from Kai. As he settled, a few soldiers who sat nearby looked up and gawked at the two of them for a few moments before quieting their conversations. 

Attempting to take their reactions in stride, Link rushed to down a few spoonfuls of stew. It was piping hot, and the savory flavor hit him in a wave of fresh deliciousness. He sighed in bliss as the warmth of the stew filled his stomach. Kai huffed out a laugh. “So I guessed correctly.”

Link swallowed a large bite of steak. “...How’d you even know that?”

Kai snorted. “Your _face,_ dude. At dinner.”

He blinked. “Oh, huh.”

“Yeah. You looked like you were ready to escape down here early.” Kai took a sip of water. “But I don’t really blame you. We were all starving.”

“Yeah,” said another voice, “but Link is constantly hungry. Kinda felt bad for him.”

Another man sat down with them, next to Kai, carrying his own bowl of rice. He was tall and well-built, with an unkempt beard beginning to grow long. As he sat, Kai’s eyes widened slightly. “Sir.”

“Evening, Kai,” Winston said before eyeing Link. “Evening.” 

Link nodded to his father briefly in acknowledgment, taking a calm sip of water. He was starting to realize just how hungry he’d actually been. 

“Dinner in the royal hall looked pretty good,” Kai muttered. 

Winston, who’d had a seat by the other heads of the military close to the King, chuckled. “Oh, it was. I always feel bad for you guys lining the wall.” 

Kai groaned. “I’m honestly not sure why we’re out there...sucked, cuz I had a bit of a rough morning. Watching them eat breakfast was torture.”

 _“Really.”_ Winston grinned. “Half the knights in this room probably had a rough morning, after yesterday…” He turned to look at Link. “I know you weren’t really allowed to go out for Kai’s birthday, but from what I heard, it was quite the spectacle.”

It was true; Link wouldn’t have been allowed to join in with the birthday festivities even if he’d wanted to. One of the rules he had to strictly follow while being an escort for a member of the royal family was the complete neglect of alcohol or any other mind-altering substances. Link was fine with this, as he never had much of a taste for alcohol, but this rule also gave him the perfect excuse to skip out on activities such as those.

“Yeah, but - I didn’t drink much of anything…” Kai sighed. “I _still_ woke up with a nasty headache.”

Chuckling again, Winston said, “Doesn’t matter. Sometimes the party spirit just gets to you, even if you’re the sober friend.”

“I can’t believe I was the sober friend on my own birthday!”

Link gave a small grin at this, and Kai took notice, sheepishly returning the smile and shrugging. “I know, I don’t actually like that stuff. Still, Link, man, you should’ve seen the Pig’s Head last night, it was weird as shit.” Kai took a bite of rice before rolling his eyes. “You’d think it was Harker’s birthday, with how he was acting…”

Link also didn’t care for Harker. Having been in the knight’s order for almost ten years, the man was as entitled as they get. Though he was fairly decent in combat, Harker showed no care towards new recruits, or even his own peers. Pompous and haughty, Link knew ever since he’d begun his time at the castle that he wanted nothing to do with Harker. It was even more satisfying to know that he couldn’t have gone to the tavern, knowing that Harker had made an all-too-expected ruckus. 

Looking around at the tables throughout the mess hall, Kai murmured, “I actually haven’t seen him all day today, have either of you?”

Both Link and Winston shook their heads. It was a bit of an unfortunate inside joke that knights were too hungover to defend the kingdom. This must have been a shared thought, because Kai sighed. “Y’know, I gave him my drink. We ordered it after you left,” he said to Winston. 

Winston’s eyes widened in brief surprise. “You mean you didn’t drink it? You let Harker have the whole thing?”

“Well. Specifically I gave it to him and told him to share it. I did take a small sip, though, and it was…” He grimaced. “I never wanna drink that again.”

Link was fortunate enough to never have tried Eldin whisky; it sounded disgusting to him. His father laughed heartily. “It’s not worth the excitement, that’s for sure.”

“I’d bet Harker just drank all of it like an asshole,” Kai said. 

Winston made a face. Lowly, he muttered, “I wouldn’t promote that man if my life were on the line.”

Kai seemed to remember something. “Hey, Link, have you heard that the Commander is probably gonna promote a new captain?”

Link shook his head, confused. “Like a replacement?”

Winston huffed. “No, no, nothing like that. Even I don’t know much about it, but I expect it means that Commander Roderick will be promoting an additional captain--”

“--To work alongside Edeline?” Kai asked. 

“That would be _Captain_ Edeline, to both of you,” Winston grumbled. “I wouldn’t talk about it now. It’s just a rumor, and even I have no idea what it’s about, so keep your noses out of it.”

“Right, yeah.” Kai ran his fingers through his hair, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry sir.”

Winston hummed before standing up. “I’m calling it an early night. Have a good rest of your evening, men.”

Both nodded dutifully as he left. Looking back down at his plate, Kai thought for a minute. “I hope Harker’s actually alright. I think he has wall duty tomorrow, at dinner.”

Link shrugged, taking another bite of steak. “He’s the one who chose to get slammed. Doesn’t really seem like it’s worth worrying over.”

Kai stared at Link for a few seconds. “You’re talkative today.”

Link didn’t respond, choosing instead to swallow another mouthful of food. 

“I just feel kinda bad,” Kai said quietly, turning to look away from Link. “I gave him that whisky, and I mean - he was already hammered.” The hum of the mess hall was dying down as soldiers cleaned up their meals and began walking back up the stairs to their quarters. “I just felt uncomfortable.”

Link understood. He’d never liked the environment of parties, especially with people like Harker. 

Kai shook his head. “Anyways. I’m headed to bed.” He gathered his things. “I’ll see you tomorrow at dinner, I’m pretty sure.”

Link waved his hand in a send-off gesture, watching Kai head to the communal kitchen to wash his dishes. 

He finished his meal over the next few minutes, swiping up his plate and washing it in one of the kitchen basins. As he made his way up the steps, he wondered if his father knew anything about him being involved with the ball. Not a lot of soldiers concerned themselves with the excitement of the ball - for them it was just another assignment. Although the ball only lasted one night, specifically the night of the spring equinox, the town’s festival lasted for three days, with the ball happening on day two. The festival was a much bigger deal, especially for castle staff who dreaded the ball itself. There, they could take off their hats and dance in the square with food and wine. Link had never been, but he’d rather go than be put on display for Hyrulian nobility. 

Opening the door to his private chambers, he pulled his hair loose from its band and removed the Master Sword from his shoulders, placing it against the nightstand by his bed. He let out a stiff grunt as he removed his clothes and shucked them into a corner. His shoulders were always sore in the evenings, after a day of carrying the sword, with the shoulder strap creating an almost permanent red mark. It’d been years since he’d pulled it from its pedestal, and lugging it around with him for all that time had made it easy to wield, even easy to carry. Perhaps it was more of a spiritual ache than anything else. 

\---:::---

By the time Link had finished his morning drills and was done eating breakfast, the other soldiers had begun to rise, and those who’d had night shifts were retiring for some much-needed sleep. The squires were also up and moving - as per usual, they were awake just as early as Link. 

With Winston as their immediate superior, the squires had a multitude of responsibilities - polishing and sharpening weapons, putting together armor, preparing stable horses for afternoon rides between military stations. Some had the opportunity to join the Knight’s Order, if properly trained. This was a main reason for many people to enroll as a squire in the first place. Such eager members of the castle’s militia tended to be twice as excited around events such as the ball, which interestingly made them more perky in the mornings. 

Link ran into one of them at the kitchen basins: Benji, who was a friendly, younger squire. Like Kai, he was a little older than Link, but unlike Kai he had a tendency to be timid in social situations. 

“Morning, Link,” Benji said, waving to him from a couple cabinets over. Link nodded to him as he finished washing his plate, adjusting the Master Sword’s shoulder strap. 

Benji grabbed his satchel, also swinging it over his shoulder. “I’ve got some errands around town this morning with Captain Edeline. Preparations for the ball, I guess. I can’t imagine what we’ll all have to do to get ready for that…” he murmured, looking up at the windows that arched across the ceiling as if the morning light could tell him more. Benji was slightly different from the Princess, and even Kai, in that he didn’t ask Link direct questions, never really expecting answers. Benji and Link had been acquaintances for a while, coming into castle employment in the same year. It was already rare for a squire to talk to a knight, though Benji didn’t seem to mind that. 

Gaze dropping from the windows, Benji looked back towards Link. “I don’t know if you saw Harker yesterday...I heard he never reported in for duty.” He bit his lip. “I’m a little worried, knowing him he probably drank a lot.”

“Kai said something about that,” Link said. A seed of concern buried itself in his chest. Was Harker still that sick? Link was becoming increasingly glad that he hadn’t been at the tavern. 

Benji blinked multiple times. “Wh- _Kai_ said that?” He sounded confused. 

Link nodded again. “Yeah, he...gave Harker the rest of his Eldin whisky,” he replied. _Did Benji not know about that?_

Benji furrowed his eyebrows. “...Huh.” When he looked back up at Link, he shook his head, chuckling to himself. “No wonder Kai wasn’t hungover. He barely drank anything,” he muttered. Glancing up towards the wall and at the large wooden clock that hung there, he adjusted his bag again and sighed. “Shoot, I’m running a little late - you may be too,” he said. 

As Benji walked away towards the door and out into the day, Link looked up at the clock and did a double-take. _5:50 AM_.

Considering he was due outside of the Princess’s door at six o’clock on the dot, this was an issue. Adjusting his strap once more, he walked briskly to the stairs, ascending two-at-a-time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can y'all tell i was hungry writing this
> 
> anyways!! plot. don't worry a metric ton of plot happens next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys ready for some PLOT
> 
> **ALSO**. IMPORTANT. So, yeah, a knight gets found in the castle moat. That’s why there’s a trigger warning for body descriptions, because it’s kinda gross. Just skip that small paragraph when you get to it if you really don’t want to read that stuff. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Something Link could never imagine doing is riding a horse properly in anything other than pants. 

He wasn’t sure why the Princess hadn’t changed out of her royal gown, heavily lined with blue and gold linen and so long that it nearly dragged along the stone walkway. After her morning prayers, he had escorted her back to her bedroom, where she’d changed into her gown before they’d made their way to breakfast in the dining hall. It was nearing noon now, and instead of heading back up to her room to change into riding clothes, she’d simply walked straight downstairs towards the main doors.

The Royal Tech Lab was a significant distance away from the castle, though it was still in the northern half of Central Hyrule. The most convenient way to get there was on horseback, as opposed to trekking the long route. 

As they walked along the stone path towards the stables, she turned to face him, walking backwards. “When was the last time you’ve been to the lab, Link?” It seemed to be a rhetorical question. She looked up into the sky, still walking in reverse. “I always like visiting the Sheikah scientists at the laboratory. It’s much more full of life than my study,” she said, looking towards the set of dueling towers that could be seen in the distance. Link always thought it was convenient that her study was so close to her chambers - perfect for midnight inspiration, he figured. 

As someone who’d seen her study once or twice, Link had to admit that it appeared very cramped. It was originally an empty guard tower before being unofficially claimed by the Princess, and as such it wasn’t made for research convenience. Books were stacked high on tiny shelves, with multiple ladders around the room for getting to volumes in high places. Some of the shelves appeared to be hand-made, as a solution for more storage. He remembered plants - several of them, kept in pots and makeshift jars. There were metal bits strewn on every surface, and blueprint papers were scattered across her small desk. She’d clearly had multiple projects going on at once. 

Link had never actually stepped inside any of the lab’s buildings, but he could imagine just how much _more_ of everything there would be. Knowing Purah and Robbie, the laboratory probably held the same variety of organized mess. 

The Princess spoke again. “I should have quite a bit of time at the lab today with Robbie and Purah - there’s nothing else scheduled,” she was smiling again, that golden smile she wore more and more often. Link could get used to it.

“ _Zelda!_ Gods, is that you?”

The shout was _loud_ , startling them both. The Princess whirled around to face ahead of her, and Link looked over her shoulder to try and get a better view. 

There, coming up the hill from the direction of the stables, was--

The Princess gasped. “M-Miara!”

Apparently, Lady Miara was quite the runner. She was dressed in a riding outfit that was strikingly similar to the one he’d seen the Princess wear, except instead of the royal family’s trademark cerulean and gold, hers was midnight blue, lined with an eye-catching scarlet. She ran up the hill, not desperately, but with purpose, stopping a few feet in front of them to catch her breath. 

“Phew! Gosh,” she panted, brushing short curls of auburn hair out of her eyes. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you this early in the day.”

The Princess seemed slightly surprised as well. “Yes, I- thought you’d be arriving at the castle this evening.”

“The ride was pretty fast. Basically skipped Hyrule Ridge altogether and cut around north.” Miara shrugged and adjusted her belt, which Link only then noticed held a small dagger with a jeweled hilt. “We left early this morning...I guess my dad wanted to get here as soon as possible.”

“I...see,” the Princess stuttered out. 

Miara scratched the back of her neck. “Yeah. Benefit of having horses from the mountains, I guess - oh!”

She’d looked over the Princess’s shoulder, suddenly noticing Link. He watched her eyes, which moved very quickly - first to his face, then to the hilt of the Master Sword peeking out from over his shoulder, then to his shoes, and then finally settling on the design of his Champion’s tunic. “You must be the Hero himself, then.” 

She said this like anyone would describe the weather. Not used to this reaction, Link simply nodded, trying not to look too incompetent in front of this woman. 

There was a beat, then - “You’re shorter in person than they make you seem,” Miara stated plainly. 

Link had several questions, but the Princess beat him to it. “What do you mean. _They._ ”

“The nobility is what I mean.” Miara stepped past the Princess to stand fully in front of Link. “You’re talked about quite a bit among the higher circles, you know.” She looked him up-and-down once more. 

Feeling at this point that he should say something, Link murmured awkwardly, “It’s good to meet you, my Lady.” 

He cringed inwardly at how small he sounded. Miara didn’t appear much older than he was, but her awareness was on another level entirely. Her eyes, a shining chestnut very unlike the Princess’s, snapped up to observe his face. 

“It’s good to meet you too,” she said, finally. Behind her, the Princess huffed.

Miara turned to face her cousin. “Zelda, I wrote to you; you hardly ever answered my letters.”

The Princess’s face became the slightest bit pink. “I apologize, I must have missed some of them.”

“Still a bad liar, I see,” Miara muttered. 

“W-Well, I’ll have you know that I’ve been very busy, this past year especially, with--”

“Oh, yes.” Miara gave a mockingly-dreamy sigh. “The _Calamity._ I have heard. Bit of an affair, isn’t it.”

The Princess crossed her arms. “It’s a little more than an _affair_.”

Miara rolled her eyes. “Exactly. Though you wouldn’t think it, with how the rest of the nobility is talking about it.” She shook her head. “I think they see it as a romantic venture…they’re talking about sponsorships already.”

“For platoons?” the Princess asked.

“Yes. It’s a subject of local pride, now.” Miara extended her arms out to the two of them, not to grip their hands, but as though she were presenting them on a stage. “And _you two_ , obviously. They talk about you often, especially this one…” she turned her head to look at Link, “...who’s become the most popular bachelor in all of Hyrule.”

The Princess blanched. “He _what?_ ”

Link felt his cheeks growing pink, blood pumping hot with fresh embarrassment. Of course, he’d _imagined_ that to be true (more like _hoped it wasn’t_ ), but how would Miara know about what all of Hyrule thought of him?

He eyed her wearily as he adjusted his shoulder strap.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard about that. Many upper-class daughters have been talking about marriage, especially those our age. Gods, Zelda, you’re behind on everything these days, aren’t you.” Miara said this without looking away from Link. Her voice held a strange cadence to it, almost playful, thought the Princess didn’t appear to be in the mood. 

The Princess gave another frustrated huff, but there was a brief beat before she actually spoke. “Why should that matter with this conversation, Miara? And how do you even know what’s going on with the nobility? I thought you and Uncle Amos had been--”

“Recluse? No,” Miara cut her off. “My dad still has business to do, after all. Boring meetings with boring people.”

It was strange - Miara was almost the exact opposite of what Link had expected her to be. But in retrospect, it had been unwise of him to assume that she and her father became hermits after the death of the Countess. They still had jobs to do and lives to live, after all.

“So!” Miara suddenly whirled back to fully face the Princess. “What’re you up to today?”

Seeming to gather her composure, the Princess straightened. “I’m off to the laboratory - to analyze some research with the Sheikah scientists.”

“Oh!” Miara nodded eagerly. “That sounds pretty cool, can I--”

“ _No,_ ” the Princess said shortly. “...It’s a closed meeting for only authorized personnel.”

Instead of looking deflated, Miara shrugged. “Alright, fine,” she relented. “Enjoy your - wait.”

“What.”

“Is that - is that what you’re _wearing?_ ”

The Princess looked down at her gown. “Yes.”

Miara blinked multiple times, as though the Princess had grown a second head. “To the _tech lab._ ”

“Yes.”

“That you’re riding to on horseback.”

The Princess took a single step back from Miara and Link. _“Yes,”_ she muttered in a tight voice. 

Miara’s eyes widened suddenly, as if a final puzzle piece had found its place. “Zelda--”

Turning sharply away from them both, the Princess spoke over her shoulder. “Link, I’m perfectly fine to get to the stables on my own.”

Link furrowed his brow, confused, taking a few steps after her. 

“You’re free to take some off-time,” the Princess asserted, glancing back at her knight with a look that burned _let me go_. “Just be sure to meet me in front of the observatory by three o’clock.” 

She began to walk away, down the hill towards the stables. Link ceased his steps, haltingly, following her back with his gaze as she retreated. 

Next to him, Miara exhaled in exasperation. _“Honestly,_ that girl.”

Feeling like he missed something, he continued to stare after the Princess as she strode down the hill, biting his lip. _What just happened?_ She was clearly annoyed, but with what? Miara’s arrival? Forgetting to change into riding clothes?

Miara spun on her heel and faced him. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it, rethinking. Link hesitated to interrupt her train of thought and stood still, trying not to look after the Princess as she disappeared from his peripheral. 

Finally, Miara said, “Link, I’d _love_ to go for a walk. Would you accompany me?” She looked up the path towards the castle, in the opposite direction of the stables. 

Link’s original plan had been to return to the practice field and to run some drills, but not at this point. He wondered if the Princess actually liked her cousin’s company, or if she just tolerated it. Whether or not that was true, looking at Miara’s face it was clear that she wasn’t actually asking. Without more than a second’s trepidation, he extended his arm towards the castle’s side gate, and let her go in front. 

She nodded and began to walk, with Link falling into step exactly five paces behind her. However, after a few seconds, Miara turned to look back at him and rolled her eyes. “That’s stupid. Beside me, please.”

He swiftly caught up with her. 

Miara crossed her arms again as she stepped up the hill. “I know exactly why she’s wearing that dress.”

Link had no idea, and looked to her, tilting his head in morbid curiosity. He wished he knew why the Princess was suddenly irked by their presence - he felt like he should have. 

Miara shook her head. “It’s her father,” she said, looking over her shoulder back in the direction of the stables, though neither of them could see the building clearly from where they were. “He puts too much pressure on her. Authorized personnel…”

Link wasn’t sure what she was getting at. He knew that the King was...committed, at least, to making sure that the Princess completed her training. Though from what he could tell, the added pressure wasn’t exactly helping. But how did that relate to her gown?

Miara, seeming to read his mind, continued. “Listen. Zelda has a responsibility, but not as just a princess. As a _symbol_. She’s _the_ embodiment of Hylia, and has been ever since the Queen died. She’s the apex of the movement against the Calamity.” She cocked her head. “You are too, but in a different way. She’s...the spiritual center of the kingdom’s morale.

“My father explained some of this to me on our way here from Hebra. If all of the kingdom’s nobility is coming in to celebrate the equinox, then Zelda has to maintain that image. Otherwise, it’ll look like the King is putting forth no effort in this movement.” She sighed. “I bet he told Zelda to wear that gown, but probably for his own conscience. Wearing it as opposed to her riding clothes is a reminder that this is merely a consultation visit, not something she should actively be participating in with the Sheikah scientists.”

Blinking a few times, Link tried to wrap his head around that. Did Miara really know all of that for sure? Had that been something he should have realized on his own?

“No wonder she walked away,” Miara muttered as they walked up the stone steps. “Sorry about everything earlier. She...we’ve always been uptight around each other, I guess.”

Link nodded. He’d at least noticed _that,_ especially the part about the letters. Why was there so much tension? Had the Princess really been ignoring Miara’s letters?

He hated to think of it, but it wouldn’t really surprise him if she had been. He’d seen firsthand how she could be petty, especially towards those she didn’t like. Still, although it had made him uncomfortable, once she’d apologized for her coldness towards him, he could see where her emotions had come from. This wouldn’t be easy for either of them to focus on, and with the looming certainty of Ganon’s return hanging over their heads, it was hard to view their relationship as anything other than unfortunate. But surely her partner in destiny was a different case from her _cousin._

As he walked on Miara’s left side, he noticed more peculiar items on her belt: a velvet pouch, a string of opal beads, and several small flasks, the liquid inside of them concealed with leather cloth. They clinked together as she walked. Her stride was continually smooth and unquestioning - she carried herself with a certain confidence that he’d never seen in the Princess. It irked him, to see that difference. 

The two of them made a left, now walking along the moat towards the castle’s main gate. It was Miara who was leading the way, though Link still stepped beside her. 

“My father and I will be here ‘til a few days after the ball. I’m hoping to sneak out and go to the town festival, though. Have you ever been?” she asked. 

He shook his head. “I haven’t.”

Miara gasped. “Oh, you definitely have to this year, if you’re allowed...even if you aren’t. I definitely won’t be allowed to, but there’s no way I’m missing it. Maybe we should kidnap Zelda and let her experience it too...it’s been so long since I’ve been to an event like that. Sounds way more fun than a stuffy ball.”

Link had to agree. Though he’d never been to the Castle Town festival for the equinox, he’d heard tales from other members of the castle’s staff. It sounded very free...like Miara, it had been a long time since he’d experienced anything remotely like that. He’d grown up in Hateno Village, where town festivals were small and quaint, not to mention rare. Even as a kid, he’d still longed to have fun and attend something bigger. 

Suddenly, something in the corner of his vision caught his attention - a ripple in the moat’s water. And although Link’s brain hadn’t processed it yet, a sickening, subconscious uneasiness began pooling in his gut. 

“Events like the Equinox Ball are pretty, but so, so boring. I’d rather jump off a--” Miara halted her speech, startled at Link, who had stepped in front of her and had put his arm out to stop her step. A signal of caution. 

He could feel Miara’s gaze on the back of his head as he turned to look at the water more closely. There, a figure in the shallows hung limply, its body pulled slightly by the soft current. _His_ body. A man’s body. 

The shock at what he was seeing sent Link into a sharp recoil. “Nn--!”

Miara gasped loudly as Link stumbled back a few feet from the edge of the moat, his hand covering his mouth in dread. _That couldn’t have been…_

Miara was staring over the edge of the moat now, both hands clasped to her mouth. “Link…!” She whirled to face him, eyes wide. “That’s a fucking person!”

It definitely was a person. “I--” Link stuttered, hating himself for feeling so thrown. 

“We need to call for help,” Miara hissed, peering back over the edge. “Who _is_ that?”

Link had a feeling he knew. Turning to look along the wall, it was easy to locate the lever. Only a few bricks down. The emergency switches normally weren’t needed, but they were still useful - being Sheikah-made, they sent an alert to the rest of the levers throughout the castle, a built-in alarm system. Running towards it, Link yanked hard on the lever and watched the light at its wedge go from go from a calm blue to a striking orange. He could hear a beeping sound that came from ten meters to his left, as the next switch along the path began to glow the same bright orange. 

He rushed back over to Miara, who was goggling at the man down in the river. It wasn’t just any man - Link could see the details now: the sandy blond hair moving with the current; the calloused hands, common among knights in the order; and the boot, caught on a rock beneath the water, keeping Harker’s body stationary. Link thanked Hylia that he wasn’t facing upwards.

Miara looked at him. “Do you know who he is?” she whispered. She looked horrified. 

Link swallowed thickly and nodded. _Holy hell…_

It wasn’t very long before castle soldiers flooded the path. There were murmurs of confusion and shock. Miara and Link kept towards the back of the crowd, neither willing to be at the forefront of the situation. Miara was breathing heavily next to him, staring at the soldiers as they lowered a ladder into the moat. 

Maybe it was due to how numb Link felt, watching them hoist Harker’s body out of the water, but what spilled out of his mouth hadn’t been intentional. “Great first day, my Lady.”

Miara stared at him, blinking slowly before giving him a small grin. “You’re not so bad, Hero.”

Thankfully, the two of them weren’t close enough to see his body in-detail - they didn’t need to. One of the soldiers examined the body before calling. “It’s Harker!”

There were gasps from those gathered, now a mixture of maids, miner’s who’d come out to get some fresh air, and other guardsmen, who lowered their heads. 

“Everyone move out of the way!”

The crowd, jostled from its reverie, began to part as a figure made their way through towards the body - Link recognized that voice. 

There was a pause as the body lay under inspection, then: “Where are Lady Miara and Link?”

This time, the crowd parted automatically, allowing the two of them passage to the front. The hard eyes of Captain Edeline locked onto both of them, and Link automatically saluted and stood still. 

The Captain swept her ponytail back. “At ease, Link. Just tell me how this happened. Both of you,” she added, glancing at Miara. 

“Link was accompanying me on a walk. We found his body caught against a rock in the moat, then Link pulled the lever to call for help.” Miara said all of this with precision, as if she’d been practicing in her head. However, her breath seemed to falter as her gaze dropped to Harker’s body. 

Link allowed his attention to shift there as well, and his stomach made an intense dive. Harker was now facing up - his glassy eyes staring up and unblinking into the sun, creating a nauseating glare. His lips were as pale as a diseased fish, his skin now an ugly, pruny white. His hair was matted and disgusting, and his clothes were sopping wet and slacking off of his body. The most disturbing part, however, were his veins, which weren’t just entirely visible, but entirely yellow. Flaxen and wiry, Harker’s veins were almost too noticeable against his arms and neck. “That’s- not normal,” Miara blurted next to him. 

The Captain eyed Miara. “Do you have thoughts, my Lady?”

There were murmurs throughout the crowd. Miara pulled herself together, facing Captain Edeline. “There’s a specific type of poisonous weed...it’s called nightwing. Nightwing poison effectively knocks the victim out.”

The Captain nodded. “I came to the same conclusion,” she said, looking towards the grand bridge that crossed the moat and led to the castle’s main entrance. “Maybe he fell…” 

“H-How do you know for sure, Captain?” asked someone who stood behind her, whom Link suddenly realized was Benji. Benji asked this question without his wide eyes ever leaving Harker’s body.

She nodded to Miara, as if to say, _You explain_. 

Miara did. “The poison infiltrates the blood system. After it’s done its job, the residue left behind, which is often sticky and yellow...oozes out of the veins. Normally it’s unseen from the outside, but...Harker...must have been in the water for some time. His veins are now very much visible...and so is the nightwing residue.”

Link glanced at her sideways. How did she know all of this? Full of mysteries, Lady Miara seemed to be. 

Benji continued to stare down at the body. In front of him, the Captain barked, “When was he last seen?”

“T-Two nights ago,” Benji answered. By now, others began talking amongst themselves, and some were even leaving, off to spread the word throughout the castle. The maids seemed to be ahead on that front - Link couldn’t see any of them from where he stood. _They must’ve already left._

Benji looked back at the Captain, timidly. “We all went to the Pig’s Head, for Kai’s birthday. Harker hadn’t been seen since...w-we all assumed he was too hungover to get out of bed, and his room was locked, so no one went to check on him...” 

Captain Edeline stared at Benji for a few moments, then turned to Link. “Is this true?”

Link nodded, slowly. “I’d heard about it, but I wasn’t actually there with Harker that night.”

“I see…” She looked to the soldiers who’d stuck around. “All of you! Take the body to the clinic. They will commence with preservation methods, until we can host a proper funeral.”

There was a round of “Yes Cap’n”, as the body was hoisted by five or six men onto a stretcher that had been brought. All other soldiers, as well as Miara, Benji, Captain Edeline, and Link, all bowed their heads with their fists clasped to their front - the traditional sign of respect for a fallen hero. 

As the body was carted away, the Captain turned to Miara and performed a purposeful bow. “I apologize that your first day at Hyrule Castle began this way, my Lady.”

Miara shook her head. “I appreciate the sentiment, Captain, but it’s alright. Jarring, for sure, but.” She nudged Link with her elbow. “At least I had a buddy.”

Link gave the smallest of smiles at this. The Captain gave a slightly bigger smile and nodded. “Right, well. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to find you had knowledge in poisonous substances.”

Miara laughed a little. “Oh - well, chemistry is one of my bigger passions.” For emphasis, she tapped the flasks on her belt. “I try to carry elixirs around with me, at least.” 

The Captain smiled again, warmly. “That’s good to know.” She nodded to Link. “I’ll be seeing you. Thank you both for your help,” she said, turning and walking up towards the castle’s main gate. 

The two of them remained silent for a few moments. Link stared down at the water, the truth of Harker’s apparent death beginning to sink in. Harker had been a right jerk, but he’d never deserved _that._

“His family will need to be notified,” he said absently. 

“If he had any,” Miara sighed. She shook her head rapidly, running her fingers down her face. “Ugh. Wow. I- need a nap.” She chuckled, though it was strained and empty. “Would you mind escorting me to my room? I’m not quite sure I remember where it is.”

Link knew her room would at least be in the same hallway as the Princess’s chambers. He nodded. “Of course, my Lady.”

“Thanks.” Miara held up her hand then, in denial. “At this rate, call me Miara, if it’s just the two of us.” 

Not sure if he’d ever actually comply with that, Link began leading the way towards the castle’s front entrance. 

As the two of them walked up the stone pathway, Link worried his lower lip, lost in thought. This was quite a way for festival season to begin...and Link couldn’t say that he had a good feeling about the rest of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah, if any of you, like. hated Harker, congratulations, you were on the right track there
> 
> see you next week :0


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zelda's POV! finally.

“Purah!” Zelda called, a sort of swelling worry beginning to roll back through her chest in small collective waves. “Would you happen to have any more of that spot-remover solution?”

Purah’s mutterings were heard before her actual approach, stepping fast into the room where Zelda stood. The Sheikah woman goggled at her. “Again?!”

Zelda swallowed, looking hopelessly down at the ink stain that began to web its way down her gown. “I apologize, I just--”

 _“Princess,”_ Purah sighed, taking a small flask out from her lab coat pocket. “I keep saying, you shouldn’t be wearing that dress in here, especially if you’re planning on going behind his Majesty’s back and actually _participating_.”

 _Participating,_ that she was. While her visit was meant to be a mere check-in with the royal scientists, Zelda had no qualms against slipping on her safety gloves and examining the enormous Guardian arm that lay across the work table. Robbie had noted that one of the machines wouldn’t activate properly, so the team was utilizing its body for spare parts and further research. Makeshift blueprints were strewn on every other desk as Sheikah scientists milled around the room, sketching and note-taking. It was the exact environment that thrilled Zelda - she loathed to participate in the wrong attire, but it wouldn’t stop her curiosity. 

“I understand,” Zelda said, taking the flask and dotting the small lip of it along her dress. “But it wasn’t my choice to wear it. I was technically only supposed to be here for the briefing.”

“Come _on,_ ” Purah rolled her eyes. “Shoulda just snuck a change of clothes! Make Link carry something next time.”

At the mention of her knight, Zelda felt her mood dampen even more. He’d taken Miara’s arrival surprisingly well - most people found her rather jarring when they met her. She supposed that was just in Link’s nature, to take things in stride. She’d felt bad, leaving him with her cousin, but she needed to get out of there. Who knows what Miara said to him after she’d left!

 _Is that - is that what you’re_ wearing _?_

Miara, quick as ever. Zelda hadn’t planned on venting her frustrations to Link, but now it was certain that her cousin had told him everything. It annoyed Zelda, who hadn’t wanted to put any more of her emotional baggage onto her knight’s shoulders. He’d already put up with far too much of her emotional immaturity…hers wasn’t even a struggle that Link was unaware of, at this point. He must have been aware of the tension that existed between Zelda and her father, right?

Her conversation with the King regarding the subject had been very clipped. _You are to wear the appropriate attire_ unfortunately had never meant laboratory wear. _Your gown must be worn. A professional, regal air must be about you at all times, am I understood?_

Regardless, she couldn’t help the stubborn anger that had spiked in her chest at Miara’s callout. Sometimes her cousin needed to leave well-enough alone.

In the other room, she suddenly heard a door open and Robbie’s voice - “Ah, about time, Impa!”

Grinning, Zelda rushed to the doorframe, the arrival of her friend lifting her mood significantly. “Hello, Impa!”

Though Impa was technically the head of technology excavation and research, she often acted as a messenger, taking trips between the lab, the castle, and Castle Town to pick up materials and report to the King. Zelda wasn’t sure how she kept track of it all. She was returning now carrying several crates, evidently with the assistance of magic, the heavy boxes trailing behind her and glowing blue as she walked into the main hall. 

Impa smiled, happy to see Zelda in her element, though something was off about her expression, the emotion not reaching her eyes. “Greetings, Princess.”

“Ah.” Robbie stopped Impa mid-walk. “Something’s up. What happened?”

Purah, overhearing this from the lab, walked to stand beside Zelda in the doorframe. “What’s going on, sis?”

Impa shook her head, dropping the crates gently onto the carpeted floor as a few Sheikah walked over to collect them. She gazed dejectedly at her feet. “There’s been a death at the castle. A murder.”

Robbie held his hand to his mouth and Zelda and Purah both gasped aloud. “No way!” Purah exclaimed, bafflement clear in her voice. A few eavesdropping scientists paused in their work, shocked into stillness. 

“It was one of the knights, a gentleman named Harker,” Impa sighed, rubbing her temples. “He was found floating in the moat.”

Zelda’s mind was reeling, the information settling in her mind like a stormcloud. “That’s horrid…” she murmured. A knight, killed! In the castle, no less…

Purah, snapping out of her reverie, stepped forward towards her sister. “Are you okay?”

Impa nodded. “Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she smiled. “Just overwhelmed. I was in a meeting with His Majesty when an off-duty advisor walked in and broke the news.”

Purah shifted on her feet. “Well, that - definitely isn’t good. The ball is only in a few days, hard to believe…”

Robbie looked up. “You said a murder, Impa?”

Impa whipped her head up towards her colleague. “What? Oh--” She straightened her belt. Lowly, so as to keep the information private between the four of them, she whispered, “Yes. Captain Edeline confirmed that the knight was poisoned, with the input of…” She eyed Zelda. “...the Lady Miara, and Link.” Her eyes skittered to the side. “Probably should have mentioned that first.”

Zelda’s mouth fell open. _”What?”_

Rocking back and forth on her heel, Impa was very reminiscent of her sister. “They apparently found the body together, while Link was escorting Lady Miara to the castle.”

Robbie laughed, incredulous. “Leave it to Link, by the stars...”

Purah huffed. “I thought the Earl and his daughter weren’t even coming _in_ until tonight!”

Zelda felt the swirl of mixed emotions raging in her chest. “How in-character for the two of them,” she muttered under her breath. 

There was a brief silence as the news sunk in. The assistant scientists slowly returned to their work, murmuring amongst themselves - gossip didn’t discriminate. Zelda thought back to the lost look on Link’s face when she’d left him with her cousin. She admittedly felt bad for both him and Miara, discovering a corpse in such a gruesome way. _Perhaps Link knew him...wouldn’t that be awful..._

Robbie, ever astute, coughed suddenly. “Princess - don’t you have a meeting with His Majesty at three o’clock?”

Zelda chugged her sluggish brain forward, processing Robbie’s words as her eyes drifted down to the now almost-faded ink stain on her dress. Then it hit her - “Oh, gods, you’re right.”

Purah gawked at her. “Will you get back to the castle in time for that?” 

Feeling a slight panic begin to surface, Zelda swallowed. “I- don’t know.” Oh, Goddess above, why did she stay so long? The solution wasn’t done removing this ink stain, it needed at least another forty-five minutes to fully get rid of it… not to mention she would need to ride back - _gallop,_ likely, to make it to the stables with enough time to spare…

Apparently thinking ahead, Impa nodded to Zelda. “Come with me, Princess, I’ll get our horses and ride back with you.” 

Zelda could hear Purah chuckling as she brushed past her and out the door - “Better hurry!”

“Thanks, Purah,” Impa muttered grumpily, seemingly to herself. She untied Zelda’s horse from its post, whistling as a signal for her own horse to canter over. “Let’s get going.”

\--:::--

These grand, oak-cut doors were always intimidating. 

Zelda breathed in and out, once, twice. Luckily the ink stain on her gown had fully disappeared - Impa confirmed that, when she had dismounted her horse, and Zelda had been able to enter the castle with a little bit more confidence. 

Still. Everytime she worked with the Sheikah scientists, she returned feeling a repetitive pang of guilt, and today was no exception. She knew that her father would be able to smell it on her, the shame, the embarrassed helplessness of having spent even a minute of her day not focused on her duties. She stood just outside of the Observatory now, with Link dutifully at her side - behind her, really. They hadn’t had a chance to speak yet of the events concerning the deceased knight, though she could tell just from observing Link that he was inwardly bothered. 

Before the Observatory doors were opened, she turned her head, glancing at him over her shoulder. “Are you alright?” she whispered. 

Link didn’t move, but his eyes slid to meet her own. He nodded once. 

There were guards lining the hallway; she should have known better than to expect him to speak candidly now. His eyes held an apologetic look. 

Zelda turned back around, nodding to the guards at the door. “If you please, gentlemen.”

They nodded in unison (where all castle employees taught to acknowledge royalty in the exact same way?), and opened the doors for the Princess. 

There was a table that had been moved from the dining hall, set up as a long congregation table to host those involved in planning the upcoming ball. Immediately, she noticed her father at the head of the table, his commanding presence having no off-switch. Impa was already here as well, seated further down the table, calmly sat with her hands folded. There were several more people in the room, including Miara, who looked a little lost in thought, and Zelda’s uncle, the Earl Amos. It had been years since Zelda had seen him, and her uncle still looked so young for his age - his auburn hair steadily growing silver, but his eyes remaining ever-bright. He looked to her upon her entrance, greeting her with a warm smile. “Hello, Zelda.”

She returned his smile easily, dipping her head towards him in professional acknowledgement. “Uncle.” 

Walking towards the table as reagally as she could manage, she took note of a few additional administrators, as well as several military officers. In her peripheral, she saw Link salute to them collectively before escorting Zelda to her seat. 

Miara perked up as Zelda sat down beside her father, sitting up straight and eying Zelda purposefully. Zelda nodded politely to the seated advisors and military members, trying to avoid her cousin’s gaze. It frustrated Zelda, how to-the-point Miara could be. She did, however, watch as Miara’s eyes skipped past Zelda after a minute and fell onto Link, who bowed to her slightly as a show of respect before walking to the wall to stand amongst the Observatory guardsmen. _Are they on friendly terms, already?_ Zelda supposed that discovering a body was a quick way to bond. 

Her father eyed her sternly as she sat beside him. Under his breath, he muttered, “You were nearly late to this meeting, Zelda.”

Glancing sideways and thinking fast, Zelda uttered, “I apologize. The horses were tiring rather easily on the ride back from the laboratory.”

“That is no excuse,” came the King’s immediate reply. “You shouldn’t have been there for that long anyhow. I expect you to be concise and efficient with your tasks.”

Zelda could feel an embarrassed flush creep up her cheeks. She hoped, desperately, that her father’s scoldings were quiet enough so as not to tip off the other officials. How mortifying would that be?

“...You are understood,” she relented, though the King’s subtle glare did not leave her face for several seconds. It took all of Zelda’s willpower to hold his gaze. Did he know? Had he deduced her previous whereabouts? Could he sense it, the guilt that would all-too-soon rake through her mind? It was likely he did. Would he confront her?

Maybe not here, but he could. He would. 

The King soon afterwards began the meeting in a brisk tone. “I thank you all for attending,” he began. “As much as I’d like to begin this gathering with more pleasant topics of conversation, we first must address the now-urgent subject of the celebration’s safety and security.” He closed his eyes in appropriate mourning. “Especially with the matter of a murdered knight surfacing on castle grounds, which we have all been informed of, by now.” There was a silence that rang similarly to yesterday evening, when her father had reminded the dining hall of the Countess’s passing. Officials at the table hung their heads, showing communal respect for the dead. Such movements were expected. 

After a moment, the King nodded to Impa, who then stood. “The body was that of Harker Montreau, a knight hailing from House Montreau in Akkala,” Impa said. “It was discovered at twelve twenty-three this afternoon by the Lady Miara of Hebra, and Link, a fellow knight in the castle’s division.”

“We are all aware of who the Hero is, Impa,” came a bored voice from further down the table. Zelda recognized this man - dressed in the most elaborate of scarlet-and-gold robes, sitting with a self-assured presence, was a man named Sefaro. One of her father’s many advisors, and arguably the one with the loudest of opinions, he sat merely a few chairs away from the King himself. He gave the slightest roll of his eyes as he tapped his quil twice to his cream-colored paper. _Get on with it,_ that tapping said. “Continue, and let us be through with the facts.”

Zelda chanced a look to the wall where Link stood, and there he was, predictably staring straight ahead and taking his mention as neutrally as possible. Zelda then glanced at Miara, who as Zelda should have expected was returning her gaze evenly. 

“It was concluded post-mortem that the subject had been poisoned with an extract from a nightwing plant,” Impa continued. Her voice held a slightly shaky quality as she cleared her throat. “It is likely that he fell from the bridge as the poison kicked in...and into the water. It’s not possible as of now to know how quick his death would have been, nor whether the poison is the final cause of death.”

 _Nightwing._ Zelda had heard of that plant, though she’d never physically seen it. Perhaps Miara would know something about it...Zelda wrinkled her nose at the thought. If there was one thing she didn’t enjoy, it was the fact that there were areas of science that her cousin was better versed in than herself. And of course Miara would be, she didn’t have any bone-breaking responsibility on her shoulders to keep her from it...

It was after a moment that her uncle spoke, standing up straight to address those seated. “This is an incredibly unfortunate and tragic turn of events. I’ll be the first to propose paying double for extra security.”

Before the Earl had even finished speaking, mumbles of dissent began to echo throughout the room. The King’s voice cut through it all almost immediately. “I second this decision. At times like this especially, the castle’s guests must attend the celebration _safely_ , with no additional concerns.” He shook his head. “It will not take long for this news to reach Akkala, once it is revealed to the public. House Montreau may within their right choose not to attend…”

It was then that Zelda briefly lost focus, thinking back to what her father had said - _at times like this especially…_ referring to the Calamity, of course. Guilt began swirling within her. What would everyone think of her, when the Princess with no holy connection was presented in front of the nobility? How would that accomplish anything other than lowering morale? Oh, her father would be in a state, indeed.

Zelda was then interrupted from her thoughts, however, at the sound of Sefaro’s protest. 

“Your Majesty…” he implored, turning to a different page in his small stack of notes, “We may not be able to afford this level of heightened security.”

There were murmurs of agreement, but once again, the King’s voice rang to bring attention. “It will be a slight strain, but that’s all it will be, Safaro,” he said. “Even a modicum of additional guardsmen is now necessary.”

“That may well be, but this was a crime that might not even have occurred on castle grounds,” Sefaro argued. 

“Indeed!” barked another, a man that might have been a representative for nobility affairs. “It will be twice as safe for guests, but twice as difficult to manage a double infantry.”

“But,” another advisor pipped, “if we do not substantially increase security, we won’t have the faith of the nobility, not after this gets out--”

Then came the brisk timbre of Commander Roderick, who held authority over Castle Town’s entire military employ. Similarly to Zelda’s father, Roderick’s voice commanded attention, and the room’s muttering dissolved. “We don’t yet have a steadfast investigation plan,” he said. “I don’t believe it would be wise to catapult into full arms unless the threat is viable.”

He looked to his right and left, where two military officials stood at his side. Captain Edeline, who acted as Roderick’s right-hand, nodded once. “I agree. Perhaps we should hold off - payment for additional guardsmen would require asking for assistance from neighboring nobility forces.”

Zelda knew that to be true. With the town festival coinciding with the ball, they couldn’t risk pulling guardsmen from the town gates to be stationed at the castle. Balancing troops was always a difficult task, but what should be done in an ambiguous situation such as this?

The man on Roderick’s left held up a hand. “The Knight’s Order is a sacred association, despite modern standings. Respect alone would warrant an immediate investigation that will be taken up quickly, by none other than us.” After a moment, Zelda remembered the man - Winston - to be Link’s father. 

She didn’t know much about him, nor their relationship. Link had never mentioned it, but why would he have? Zelda’s relationship with her own father was publicly strained, but that was because of who they were. By comparison, Link was a normal teenager. A public figure, of course, but more of a symbol than a noble celebrity. Normal teenagers likely didn’t share that information casually, did they? Zelda and Link’s relationship certainly wasn’t “casual”, not by any means. 

“Yes,” Sefaro agreed, curtly. “Handle it, so that this matter can be closed.”

“Very well,” the King conceded. Amos nodded his consent as well.

Event planning often began this way, with the most urgent issue kicking off a brisk debate. The rest of the meeting remained predictable, with a different advisor reading off and actively editing the official list of invited nobility, another leading a conversation in staff planning, another proposing a slightly altered budget. Zelda was only present out of obligation, a fact that became clear as the meeting came to a close without Zelda ever being asked for an opinion. 

As the conversation drew to a close, Zelda was among the first to stand once it was appropriate. Surprisingly her father did not stop her, and she departed without a fuss.

She could hear Link fall in-step behind her, in a rhythm with her own footsteps as she exited the Observatory. It was nearing five-thirty, and she would need to freshen up before dinner. 

Zelda found herself growing more and more annoyed as she wound her way back up to her chambers - what in Goddess’s name did the King wish of her, when it came to this celebration? He still hadn’t bothered to disclose any specific information. Was she a part of the celebration’s planning or not? “--Especially since he _announced_ my involvement to _everyone_ ,” she found herself saying, only to stop in her tracks, realizing abruptly that Link had been listening to her unprompted mutterings for the past few minutes. 

They were alone, she noticed, standing here in the middle of the narrow hallway. Zelda turned to him. “I apologize, Link, don’t mind me,” she stuttered out. 

Link opened his mouth to reply, though before he did she watched as his blue eyes scanned the hallway, the same way she had. Ever-aware of whether or not he was being watched. “No need, Princess,” he said. 

She hesitated to switch topics, but the subject of the murdered knight had been nagging at her since Impa had mentioned it at the Tech Lab. She took a step towards him. “That knight, Harker...you have my condolences, Link.”

Link’s brow contorted as several muted emotions passed through his face. Eventually he seemed to settle on, “Thank you. But we weren’t close.”

There was something in Link’s tone that, while subtle, made it clear to Zelda that Harker wasn’t exactly a model of excellency. “I see,” she murmured. Perhaps he just didn’t wish to speak ill of the dead, which would make sense.

She turned back, walking down the hallway as she continued to speak to her knight over her shoulder. “I imagine finding the body was quite a shock. With my cousin no less.” Zelda couldn’t deny that she felt sympathy for them both. As much as her cousin’s brashness annoyed her, witnessing a corpse in the castle moat would be rattling for anyone. 

However, Link’s answer was almost annoyingly neutral: “It was good to have an alarm switch so close by,” he replied.

She hesitated. “Is that so.”

“Yes. The guards arrived swiftly.”

Suddenly exasperated, Zelda halted and turned back to him again. Confused, her knight stopped as well, five paces behind her as always. 

“Link.” Zelda crossed her arms, ready to ask him something - but then her mouth went dry, as she realized that she didn’t exactly know what she wanted to say.

He cocked his head, looking slightly more baffled than he already was, and Zelda stood, keeping her stance and trying to rack her brain for wording, because what she _wanted_ was for Link to say that it had been mildly traumatic, yes, to find a dead body in the moat, not to let slip a bland comment about Sheikah alarm switches. Weren’t they on friendly terms, now? Couldn’t he be a bit more honest, especially away from the watchful eyes of the court, if only for a moment, and not dismiss her concern so...condescendingly? 

The death of a personally disliked knight may have been one thing, but was he being secretive on purpose? Or was he truly not that affected? Maybe not, if he’d disliked the man. It certainly wouldn’t have been Link’s first time seeing a dead body, so maybe he wasn’t that rustled after all.

It wouldn’t be best to pry. If he had wanted to speak on it, he would have. Zelda cleared her throat. “If - if you wouldn’t mind, I can make it up the rest of the staircase on my own.” She did her best to offer a reassuring smile, as this wasn’t an attempt to leave him stranded, like she might have tried once upon a time. “I will see you at dinner.”

He blinked, but nodded dutifully and left her to walk up to her chambers on her own. 

Zelda rounded the corner, lifting her skirt to ascend yet another flight of carpeted steps. She bit her lip. _I’ll likely need to speak with Miara on the matter as well…_

Both of them would have to speak on it anyway, if an investigation was to take place. _What will that look like, I wonder?_

\--:::--

Zelda was nearly settled for bed that evening when she heard a rapt knock at her door. 

_Link?_ she thought, but that shouldn’t be, as he was supposed to be dismissed for the night, having dropped her off after dinner. As she wearily walked towards the door, she wondered if she would be greeted by her father, here to have a word with her. This late at night, that couldn’t be good.

“Who is it?” Zelda called, trying not to let any worry slip into her voice.

She heard an all-too-familiar huff from the other side of the door. “Miara, obviously. Who else would be paying you a visit this late?”

Zelda sighed inwardly. _A few others,_ she thought of saying, but that would have been a lie. Knowing that Miara would just barge in if she didn’t open the door, Zelda gripped the iron handle and pulled, stepping to the side to let her cousin in.

And step in she did. Miara had evidently prepared for bed as well, standing just as confidently in a silk nightdress as she would have in a bejeweled ball gown. She turned and grinned at Zelda, stepping forward and shutting the door behind her. “Cousin,” she greeted. 

“Hello, Miara.” Zelda braced her arms, feeling more worn now than she had mere minutes ago. “Do you need something? It’s...not like you to be out of bed.”

Miara scoffed. “It’s _very_ like me to be out of bed.”

“Wandering the halls?”

“I just wanted to talk to you,” Miara said, walking over to quite literally _flop_ onto Zelda’s bed. “Y’know, about today.”

Rather than show her annoyance, Zelda schooled her expression and walked over to stand over her cousin, who lay on the bed. “You mean the knight in the moat.”

“I do.”

Zelda knew she needed to empathize in this case. Shifting back and forth on her feet, she tried, “I’m sorry you came across that on your first day back here.”

Miara waved her hand, draping her other arm over her eyes. “No need to be cordial. It _was_ startling, but I did have your knight with me. He’s a reassuring presence.”

Zelda couldn’t help but offer a small smile. “He does help in that way,” she acknowledged. Remembering how Link hadn’t offered a real comment on the matter, Zelda asked, “Was he alright company?”

“Alright enough. Responsive enough.” Miara shrugged, peeking at Zelda out from under her arm. “I’ve heard he’s a bit of a statue in the presence of the court, though.”

“That’s true.” Zelda decided to cave, sitting down on the mattress next to Miara. “He didn’t seem very fazed when I asked him about it.”

Miara didn’t respond for a moment, but when she did, it was with a question. “What did you think of the meeting today?”

Zelda blinked. “Come again?”

“You never gave an opinion.” Miara rolled onto her side now, leaning on her elbow. “Neither did I, though, to be fair. It’s not like either of us are allowed to voice anything unprompted in those meetings.”

 _But should she have?_ The gears began to spin once again as Zelda thought back to the meeting, sat obediently at her father’s side. But why at all?

A certain expression must have shown on her face, because Miara nudged her hip. “So?”

 _So._ Zelda sighed. “I agree with many, that there should be an investigation before any call is made. My opinion ultimately would have been stacked with the others.”

Miara sat up, stretching her shoulders. “I agree.” 

“I’m not quite sure why I was there to begin with,” Zelda admitted, pulling her knees to her chest. “My father has begun implying my involvement to those in the castle, but he’s been incredibly vague with me.”

“Vague how?” Miara asked, glancing at her sideways.

“Well…” She swallowed. “He asked me to attend the advisory meeting today, though the same as you, it was suggested that I not voice any hard opinion without it being a turning point in the conversation.” That had been true since Zelda began attending meetings of any kind - unless what she had to say was a new, interesting point that hadn’t yet been brought up, she was to keep it to herself. Better to speak rarely but to always speak something revolutionary. It was an old-fashioned perspective, she knew. Even Miara, who hadn’t been raised in as near a strict manner, had been taught to follow that rule when it came to official business. “He has...made it clear that I will be involved to everyone else, but in what way, I’m still not privy to.”

Miara seemed to hesitate before answering, an unusual gesture for her, but it didn’t take long. “I think it may just be for appearances.”

Zelda felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, but thinking on it, this was an answer she should have seen coming. “Appearances,” she echoed.

“Maybe.” Miara shifted on the mattress. “I mean - today, with the gown--”

Cringing inwardly, Zelda groaned, remembering the incredulous tone her cousin had greeted her with on her way to the stables. “Miara--”

“No, no, I’m right,” Miara said, shifting her body even more to face Zelda fully. “I have no doubt in my mind that your father is trying to balance your responsibilities with kingdom morale. He’s asking you to _appear,_ but not to _do,_ so that you can focus on your duties while appearing multifaceted to the public. For example--” she made a flighty gesture with her wrist, “--sending you to the lab in a royal gown. It’s a message for you, too.”

It made so much more sense when Miara put it that way. Still, Zelda couldn’t help the nauseating disappointment that curled in her stomach. “That’s…”

“I don’t like it either,” Miara sighed.

 _Goddess._ She really wouldn’t be able to get away from it, would she? This business of prophecy, this matter of devotion. No doubt it had bothered her. Sometimes attending her morning prayers stung like a poisoned wound. 

“You should get to bed,” Zelda heard herself saying. Suddenly, she felt as though she would suffocate. 

Miara didn’t respond for a moment, standing and smoothing out her nightgown. She eyed Zelda carefully. “Should I?”

“Please.” 

Her cousin looked around Zelda’s room, pondering. “What’s on deck for you tomorrow, then?”

Zelda held back the anger that suddenly spilled in her chest. She was reminded, strangely, of why she resented Miara the way she did. “Why are things so casual for you?” she asked, keeping the bitterness out of her tone as best she could. 

Miara, predictably, rolled her eyes as Zelda’s fists curled into the cotton comforter. “I’m not _casual,_ Zelda, I’m just not a worrier.”

“Of course you aren’t,” Zelda bit out. “You don’t have an ancient evil on your shoulders, no prophecy to fulfill.” Even as the words fell out of her mouth, they felt hollow, because as much of a reminder as this responsibility was, she was far too used to agonizing over it.

Miara hung her head slightly, crossing her arms. “You’re - you’re right, about that. I’m sorry.”

“I’d like you to leave now,” Zelda said.

“Alright, fine,” Miara muttered, adjusting the silk of her belt. “I know you’re anxious--”

“You have no idea how I feel!” Zelda hissed, standing up to face her cousin. This was just like Miara, generalizing everything to blow it over. “You never have. I don’t understand how you can be this relaxed with the entire kingdom set to face certain destruction if I don’t--”

“I know! I know,” Miara said, holding her hands up in a placating gesture. “Look, I’m sorry, alright? I know you’re stressed, as you always tell me. I’m just trying to not let it affect either of us. We’re all here for a celebration, aren’t we?” 

“Yes.”

“Well.” Miara turned to walk away from the bed and towards the door, but she stopped halfway and turned back to Zelda. “I want you to know something.”

Exasperated but relenting, Zelda sighed. “What.”

“If you need help with anything - while I’m here. We’re family. Just tell me, alright?”

Zelda nodded absently, feeling the will to argue leave her body. “Goodnight.”

“G’night Zelda,” Miara replied, shutting the door and exiting swiftly.

Zelda kept herself from groaning, reaching her hands up to rub her temples. She supposed that Miara’s attitude wasn’t new. Even the nicest maids and royal advisors had given her some form of “lighten up” along with a pat on the arm. 

Impa, Robbie and Purah had perhaps been the most understanding, or at least the most lenient, allowing her to spend her time as she liked. Link...well. He knew what she was going through. He was an obvious witness to it, watching her pray every day, and fail every day. He hadn’t commented much on the matter, probably knowing it wasn’t his place to do so. 

It wasn’t. Still…

“Say something, would you,” Zelda mumbled, easing her shoulders and slipping beneath the sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, as you may have correctly guessed, each character in this story will have multiple issues and concerns to sift through, and i'll be addressing each one. Link...hm. you'll see next chapter; he's got a lot going on
> 
> anyways! see you next week. I enjoy your theories, which have been popping up in my comments and in my tumblr inbox, so feel free to share lol


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey so remember when i said that Link had stuff to deal with in this story that just hadn't been introduced yet? yeah. 
> 
> also, to the 2 nonnies in my tumblr inbox asking about Winston. This is it, this is the chapter that tells you the most about his initial character. Sorry for ignoring y'all but i'd figured this would be a nice surprise.
> 
> ***IMPORTANT HEADS-UP***. There's more descriptions of Harker's body in this chapter, and there will continue to be small references to it for a while. Sorry about that, but- it's a murder mystery.

After Link left Princess Zelda to her chambers that evening, he made his way down to the soldier’s quarters, feeling the soft rhythm under his feet as he swiftly wound down the carpeted steps.

He could still see her from this afternoon in his mind’s eye, able to hear the disappointment in her tone. 

_“Is that so.”_

She had been facing him, and the expression on her face would have been impossible to describe, but Link had felt it all the same. 

_Say something, knight._

The sentiment wasn’t one that Link was unused to. His father used to tease him during his quieter moments as a child, but even now, as a knight in the Order, his silence was unnerving to many. Even the Princess knew this to be the case, but she also knew why. He had told her. She had coaxed it out of him.

It had been easier than he thought, to tell her. Out of everyone he knew, “having a kingdom’s pressure on your shoulders” was definitely something that she related to the most. Still, he didn’t want to overload any additional worry onto her...not until he’d had the opportunity to sort through his thoughts on his own. And even then, what could he say, what could he reveal that wouldn’t just...

If he were honest, he wasn’t immensely worried about Harker’s death by itself, though the fact that it occurred this close to a massive celebration was alarming. _Maybe he just made a few enemies...it could have nothing to do with the castle._

As Link turned and began to descend into the mess hall, he could hear the same conversational jaunts that always rang throughout the room. He slowed his pace, tracing his hand along the stone wall. Knights and soldiers were always loud conversationalists, but this…

Reaching the bottom, he began to note the difference - this wasn’t normal talking. Instead, there was a thick layer of apprehension that had laced itself throughout their discussions, and Link could pick them out clearly as he weaved his way around different tables.

“Harker wasn’t even a stand-out knight, just an asshole.”

“Extra duty, I’m betting you.”

“ _Drowned._ That’s what I heard. Shitty way to go.”

“There’ll be a new position open for a knight…”

“No need for conspiracy.”

“Murder, you think?”

 _Mixed reception,_ Link thought, arriving at the food table to serve himself some rice and buttered salmon. _It’s weird, him being so suddenly gone…_ Link hesitated to phrase it as _a weight off of people’s shoulders._ Still.

Turning back towards the rest of the hall, Link scanned the dimly-lit room, trying to find Kai, whom he hadn’t talked to since last night. _He’ll definitely have questions._

Ultimately, Kai wasn’t hard to locate. He was predictably sat in the center of things, with several buzzing soldiers surrounding him. Trying to squeeze down the fluttering feeling of shyness in his stomach, Link braced himself, making his way down the center row after seeing an empty seat at the same table. 

The trail of hushed whispers that followed him seemed to be less prevalent today, which was a relief. As boyish as it felt to be this uneasy, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling as eyes followed him across the hall. At least there was something else on their minds. 

Kai looked up and grinned as he saw Link approach, though the expression didn’t meet his eyes. He seemed to be just as worried as everyone else. “There you are.”

Link nodded and sat down, already taking out his fork to dig into his dinner. Food was a decent time-filler. 

There were others that sat with Kai, though they quieted as Link joined them. Kai, either not noticing or choosing not to pay mind, continued to look at Link. “So you and the Lady.”

Link glanced up, raising an eyebrow. 

Instead of Kai finishing the thought, a soldier to his left pipped up, “Can’t imagine every romantic stroll ends in finding a corpse, guy.”

There wasn’t a safe way to respond. Link shook his head, taking another bite. 

Choosing sympathy, Kai gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry you and the Lady came across him in the moat.”

Link’s eyes fell from Kai’s face back to his plate. His voice held the same tone that the Princess’s had - _provoking_. Even with Kai, however, it didn’t feel right to discuss it. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a dead body, after all.

But despite that, Link’s mind fell back to pulling the emergency lever, the urgency with which he’d grasped it, the instinctual danger he’d felt, holding Miara back from the moat before she could see what he must have already seen, somehow. 

Could that have been any knight? _No, not any knight._ Harker had been poisoned. Purposefully. 

_Glassy eyes._

“What was she like?” asked another, a guard, pulling Link from his thoughts. Link must have held a blank look on his face - “The _Lady,_ ” the guard clarified.

Link forced his mind to spin in the other direction. Questions begged answers, but even if he felt as inclined to give one, what could he possibly say? Lady Miara had been an interesting presence, so different from the Princess in the way she carried herself, so entirely opposite of what he had expected her to be. She had been nice, he supposed, and he’d found himself grateful for her being there when he’d found Harker’s body in the moat. 

How was she faring, he wondered? He hadn’t properly spoken to Lady Miara since delivering her to her chambers that afternoon, though he had seen her later, at the advisory meeting. For the first time, he saw the Princess and her cousin in the same boat - bored, unneeded. It had been strange to see that identical look in their eyes. They really had looked like proper cousins.

Luckily, he didn’t need to give the questioning guard an answer. A sharp whistle shot across the room, two notes, two brief beats. Near-instant silence followed - in infantry brought to attention by a higher authority. Link looked towards the front, able to see Commander Roderick with the Captain at his side. They stood on a brick platform that extended outwards from the wall, ready to address those gathered.

It was likely that they would address Harker’s death, but how much of the details discussed at the meeting that afternoon would be revealed? The investigation, the cause of death, how it may affect the arriving nobility...already, this was complicating things with the ball looming so close.

Captain Edeline spoke first, though she did so only once there was complete silence. “I’m sure you’ve heard many things today regarding a certain knight. Before any rumors fly, I’ll address the matter clearly…” She took her fist and held it to her chest. “It pains me to share the news that Harker Montreau, a knight in our very Order, has passed.”

There were immediate murmurs, though they were very, very quiet. Everyone knew this - all she had done was dismally confirm it. 

She ended it quickly. “Stand for the Commander.”

They did. There was a rushed shuffling as every knight, soldier, and squire rose from their chairs and stood to face their leaders with straightened backs and hardened eyes. 

Captain Edeline nodded to the Commander, who nodded back and took a step forward. “It pains me to address you this way, so close to a celebration,” he began. Commander Roderick was the picture of a man at the peak of his years, nearing forty-five, with a sturdy build and an air of unfaltering loyalty and authority over his troops in the castle. It was customary to be standing at attention whenever he addressed his men en masse. 

“We pay our respects to a fallen comrade.”

In response, all men and women in the room raised their fists to their chests, as the Captain had done, and bowed their heads. “May Hylia welcome him with open arms,” they replied in a customary echo. As the words silently left Link’s mouth, he kept his eyes to the floor, trying not to imagine Harker choking and slurring and stumbling off of the bridge and into the moat below. The mantra they spoke was the traditional prayer for a fallen soldier - any specificities that came with him having been a knight in the Order would likely come at his funeral.

After a moment, Commander Roderick spoke again, this time in a slightly more clipped tone. “Unfortunately, there’s another piece to this news, which I’m sure some have heard by now, though not much information is clear - Harker was found in the castle’s moat - he had apparently drowned.”

There was a round of conflicted noises throughout the mess hall, though Link knew that it wasn’t the end of the story. He chanced a glance over to Kai, who had his arms crossed, his stance revealing how nervous he felt. Link wondered if Kai had heard the other half of the news.

Quickly, the men grew quiet once again as Commander Roderick cleared his throat. “...There is...strong evidence that Harker’s death has been the result of murder.” 

There was a low rumble that rang throughout the room as whispered questions began bubbling forth. Interesting that the Commander didn’t share the true cause of death, though Link supposed that it was wise not to if an investigation was to take place.

But who would know anyway, despite the Commander’s best efforts? Who among those gathered _here_ had been _there,_ at the edge of the moat as Captain Edeline and Lady Miara thought aloud? The poisoning hadn’t been private information at the time. Link suspected that it wouldn’t take long for rumors to fly among the ranks. He could already see signs of it now, as questioning tones began floating through the air. 

“Murder? Gods, how?”

“So close to the ball, I don’t trust that for a gods-damned minute.”

“I’m not sure if I’d rely on anyone to take hold of an investigation.”

There seemed to be others who were less surprised. Straining his ears, Link listened as other, more disappointed voices intermixed with the louder, more fearful ones -

“Bet he stole someone’s girl…”

“That’d be like ‘im, wouldn’t it.”

“You can only get away with so much.”

“Maybe he had it coming.”

In the midst of this, Kai had waded his way over to Link, nudging him on the shoulder - “Dude.” 

Link turned, eyebrows raised. 

“Did you know about this?” Kai asked, voice low. 

He very much did. But what could he tell Kai? “Not really,” he murmured lamely. 

Kai’s lips quirked up in a disbelieving grin. “You were _there._ ”

Link shrugged, trying to maintain an even voice as the anxious mutterings around him grew louder - fears and worries falling out of men’s mouths and tripping over one another. “They only asked Lady Miara and I a few questions about how he was found.”

“Do you know how he was murdered…?” Kai clarified, as though it hadn’t been his original question.

Link didn’t want to lie, though it seemed better to refer to the Commander’s already-revealed information. “I don’t.”

There was a lull between the two of them as Kai seemingly decided to drop the subject. Link’s fellow knight looked to the floor, shaking his head. “I feel awful about this.” 

Link knew he would. He remembered Kai’s comments from the previous evening, almost too clearly. Maybe it was easier to talk smack about someone if you were resigned to the fact that they would always be around. 

But had Harker truly deserved such a shitty way to go? _There really isn’t a better way to put it._

He blinked rapidly, trying to squash down the image of Harker’s yellow veins that had suddenly flashed through his head. _Crawling up his neck...Poison. Nightwing..._

Though he tried to pull his thoughts away from that moment of seeing Harker’s body, it seemed an impossible feat the more he attempted it. Link could feel his mind beginning to run a mile a minute - attempting to reel himself back in, he clenched his fist behind his back and trained his eyes back onto the Commander. _Focus now, unwind later. Calm down._

Commander Roderick clapped his hands once, twice, and the knights and guards quieted. “An investigation is already in progress.” He eyed the crowd sternly. “While it is a heartbreaking loss, and under very unsettling circumstances, I expect it not to hinder your preparations nor your performance for the upcoming ball. Is that clear!” 

“Commander!” came the shout from the crowd in response. 

“Details of the investigation are a private matter between myself and those at my side. There will be no interference nor unnecessary questions from any of you.”

Link caught it - the Commander’s brow, shifting to glance directly at Link, targeting him throughout the many knights and guardsmen. It had been only for a moment, but somehow its purpose had been communicated clearly: _you’ll be asked some questions._ He wouldn’t have expected anything less. 

Commander Roderick waited a moment before clapping his hands once more. “Now, eat. It will be a long week ahead of us.” 

“You can say that again,” Kai muttered, sitting back down at his seat. As the Captain and Commander stepped down from the platform and retreated down a hallway to their respective offices, the men and women in the room unsteadily returned to business. Though there was an air of something new in the room - _dread._ Why hadn’t that been there before?

Nodding in agreement, Link uneasily sat down across from Kai once again.

  
  


\--:::--

  
  


Link couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t actually that he _couldn't_ sleep, not even that he _wouldn't._ But he’d found that, once he’d retreated to his quarters, unstrapped the Master Sword, loosened his hair and had paced around the room a few times for good measure, he just couldn’t bring himself to feel tired. 

Glancing at the large clock on the opposite side of the hall, Link realized the time - nearing one o’clock in the morning - and it sunk in just how inconvenient this lack of sleep would prove to be, if he was to report to the Princess’s chambers barely five hours from now. 

He hadn’t walked back out of his room in his Champion’s tunic, instead opting for a simple cotton shirt. He’d also chosen to keep his hair down - this was risky by itself, as in any public space Link was expected to maintain a uniform appearance. Unsure if he’d merely forgotten this rule or if he’d purposely let it slip his mind, Link felt resigned to any consequence. He was around other servicemen, sure, but who would call him out this late? Link wondered if he was even recognizable from a distance. 

He’d established a decent people-watching spot from where he was, on the second story of what was still technically the soldier’s mess hall. He leaned against the wooden railing, eyes lazily dancing between those on the floor below. There were still some who chose to linger amongst the long dining tables even after supper - there wasn’t a designated curfew, not even for squires. He noticed a small group of them in the corner, whispering amongst themselves. Even though Link had never gone through squirehood - only around half of the knights in the Order these days ever had - he knew how tightly-knit those in the rank were. He spotted Benji with them, his unassuming stance nestled between two tall, lanky men.

Though Link had been incredibly young when he’d joined the Order - the youngest ever, as he was typically reminded - Benji had also been pretty young when he’d come into castle employment, the same year that Link had. However, while Link had become a knight straight-away at fourteen, Benji became a squire at sixteen, which hadn’t actually been considered too young for those in the rank. The age range of squires was much wider, with a few as young as thirteen and others as aged as forty, maybe older. Many squires remained within the rank for their entire career within the castle, but those around Benji’s age had an opportunity to be promoted to knighthood with the proper training. Having been a squire for as long as he had, Link wondered if Benji may consider becoming a knight within the next year or two...

He rolled his shoulders, trying to relax the strain throughout his body. What was he even standing up here for? It wasn’t like he could afford to wait until he got sleepy. But there was something stirring in the back of his mind, unidentifiable and awful. He had a theory on the surface of what it was he was feeling, but…

_Pale skin._

_Matted hair...tangled and wet._

_Yellow veins. Poison._

_Water in his lungs--_

Elbows leaning on the wooden railing, Link held his face in his hands. “Gods,” he mumbled. 

“Can’t sleep?”

Link turned his head, standing up straight and schooling his expression when he saw his father approaching. _Should I be worried about not being in uniform right now?_

He didn’t even realize he’d performed a half-hearted salute until his father chuckled, raising his arms in surrender. “At ease, Link. Come on now.”

Wearily, Link dropped his stance but remained facing his father, tilting his head. 

“I don’t need anything, don’t worry.” His father strolled over to stand next to him, leaning on the railing just as he’d been. “I’d like to talk, if that’s alright.”

Link nodded. It occurred to him that Winston hadn’t actually been at dinner in the mess hall. “I haven’t seen you for a bit,” he said.

His father sighed. “Yeah. After dinner with the royals I went to my office; I had some paperwork to sift through.” At his son’s questioning look, he said, “With Harker’s passing, there’s an unexpected slot in the Knight’s Order for a new knight. I’m trying to decide which squire I’d like to push forward. A few have volunteered.”

_Oh, huh._

Before he could entertain that thought further, however, Winston turned his head. “Are you feeling alright?”

His tone was very gentle. Nostalgia unexpectedly swirled in Link’s chest - it was rare to talk with his father like this, especially these days, with Link’s duties speeding towards an impending yet unknowable Calamity. It was precisely as daunting as it sounded on paper. 

Link’s eyes drifted to the floor. 

His father huffed a small quiet laugh. “Your silence always speaks volumes.”

“I know,” Link said quietly. He didn’t mean for it to.

“I’m still your father.” Winston looked casually down at the few groups of people below. “I think I know you well enough. And that’s why I’m asking. You found a corpse today.”

Almost automatically, Link replied, “It wasn’t my first.”

There were varied meanings within that. Winston shrugged. “Maybe. But this is getting to you.”

Would it be safe, to acknowledge that? He remembered his conversation with the Princess - a few months ago now, it must have been, with her empathetic smile, drawing Link’s stresses out of him and into the open air. He had admitted his worries to her so easily, but that had been outside the castle.

Where had they been? In a field, somewhere in Central Hyrule, but that was hardly specific. They must have been truly alone, the only travelers for miles in any direction. Back then, when he traveled alone with the Princess regularly, it had been easier to think of her as _Zelda._ Only Zelda. But behind castle walls that felt wrong, purely incorrect, just as spilling his insecurities had, to anyone, within the castle’s confines. And besides, he and the Princess had a rushed schedule - research excursions were rare, now.

Winston’s raising of eyebrows pulled Link’s mind back. He crossed his arms, returning his gaze to the stone floor. “I’m not sure why it’s getting to me, no,” he relented. 

His father sighed again. “I know why.”

Link looked up. “You do?”

“Yes. It’s your mother.”

 _That_ hadn’t exactly been what Link expected to hear. He blinked, thrown. “What?”

She wasn’t a subject that was brought up very often, if ever. Link hardly remembered her, as she’d passed when he was a small child. But his father didn’t speak of her unless aggressively prompted, which wasn’t Link’s style anyways. It had always been a fragile topic. 

Shaking his head, Winston looked like he wanted to sit down. “I know I never really told you how she died.”

“You told me there was an accident in Zora’s Domain,” was the response that fell out of Link’s mouth. He felt strangely unprepared for this conversation; underdressed, certainly...maybe he was more confident in his tunic after all.

“I didn’t lie. I was just never specific.”

 _That’s true._ But then again, Link had never asked - something always held him back, perhaps it was the sorrow that seemed to cloud his father’s head every time she was mentioned. 

Link felt like taking several steps back, an unnamed apprehension taking rise. “Okay,” he murmured. The two of them were as alone as they could get, he supposed, but having a conversation of this nature _here_ in the castle, felt so incredibly alien that it was all Link could do not to fidget.

“I’ll try to be concise here, because I could talk for hours about it if either of us were up to it.” Winston turned to fully face his son, elbows leaning back against the railing. _Casual._ “The three of us were living in Zora’s Domain at the time.”

“Right,” Link said. He’d already known that.

“You were young, but not super. Maybe six or seven. By that point the troop had been stationed just outside of the Domain for a few years.”

 _Six or seven?_ That didn’t sound right. Wouldn’t Link have remembered this if he’d been older than a toddler?

As if possible, Winston’s voice became even more low and wistful than it already had been. “Your mother loved the region. Even though it rained a shit ton, she said it always had beautiful sunsets after a day-long storm.”

Link took a few steps closer, reaching his left hand out to rest on the railing as he faced his father. Something to brace himself.

“...But there was a freak rainstorm that lasted several days.” Winston continued. “I’m not sure what caused it, but the reservoir in the area almost overflowed. Floods began coming in from the Zora River and neighboring watersheds…One day, you ran out to play in it, without us noticing. You liked the rain a lot at that age.”

What Winston said next was brief and succinct, so much so that it sent Link’s mind reeling. 

“You nearly got swept away. She ran after you, and you both slipped and fell down the slope and into the river. We found you a day later.”

Link felt his eyes go wide, his mouth falling slightly open. _What?!_ Why didn’t he remember any of that ever happening?

“I-I’m so sorry,” he whispered. He felt as though he’d been punched in the gut, the pit in his stomach sinking in a downward spiral, though the depths of it were unknown. An emotion unreachable in the void began spinning rapidly, and Link felt the urge to walk away from this and dive into the moat himself. There was a reaction that was needed, but it felt lost in translation, like a blank page in a printed epic.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Winston replied automatically, but he wasn’t looking at his son. “A search party was sent out, and the rainstorm was just beginning to clear up when we found you downstream. You’d washed up on the wetlands.”

“That’s...nearly five miles away from the Domain…”

His father nodded, solemnly. “The current had carried you both far. But we found you, holding her in the sand…” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “She’d probably been dead for more than several hours. Drowned.”

Link felt a touch of vertigo as the news sunk in, stirring something deep in his subconscious. “Why...don’t I…?” _Remember. Why can’t I remember her?_

Winston shrugged, but there wasn’t any nonchalance to it. “You were hurt, badly. Several broken ribs, a broken leg. You got pretty ill for a little while after, which was understandable...the Zora gave us their condolences. Princess Mipha kept asking after you, but you were bedridden for days. After you recovered, you...didn’t talk. For a time, at least.” His eyes drifted to the ceiling. “To be honest it was a complete one-eighty from how you used to behave.”

This, Link knew - even Mipha had told him more than once about his sunny disposition as a child. He’d never questioned it before now - wasn’t that how all children were? Wasn’t it natural to grow out of it? 

This was all starting to wrap together. Link huffed, bleakly. “I don’t remember any of this.”

“I know you don’t.” His father’s voice had taken on a strange edge. “It was clear after a few weeks of...tentative questions. At first I thought you just hadn’t wanted to talk about it - you didn’t really talk about much of anything - but. You just didn’t remember. It just seemed like there was a blank spot where your mother should have been. You didn’t recognize her name, or her favorite mug, or the blanket she made you. You didn’t associate those things with her.”

He knew her name by now, of course: Mikah. But that he had only gotten from her headstone in the Hateno Village cemetery. His father had never mentioned it out of context, and now that Link was purposefully thinking about it, her name wasn’t innately familiar. 

He was at a loss for words. But Winston wasn’t finished. 

“The on-site clinic had a doctor that treated you. She told me that there may be a blockage from trauma, and I didn’t want to push you to remember if your subconscious had already rejected it. Shortly afterwards we moved out of the Domain.”

Link remembered this part. The blur of years after being stationed in Lanayru - hopping around between military outposts, occasionally visiting his grandparents in Hateno Village. Wandering into the Lost Woods and pulling the Master Sword.

Visiting Castle Town once, twice. His father being promoted to Standard Bearer, in charge of the castle’s squires. Link being admitted to the Imperial Guard, the youngest ever at fourteen years of age, and then immediately thereafter joining the Knight’s Order. 

“I just...assumed that I had been too young to remember anything,” Link said weakly.

Uninvited, images of Harker’s dead, limp body slid back to the forefront of his mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut. 

“I know this is a lot.” His father’s voice was exceedingly gentle again. “But I knew that experiencing this for a second time would fuck you over. I just wanted to make sure you were...doing alright.”

There was a bark of laughter down below. Both of them looked curiously over the railing to see the group of squires doubling over, cackling over a joke that must have been said. 

Winston sighed. “I’m sorry for never telling you any of that.” He glanced down at a neighboring pair of knights, having a casual conversation towards the end of another dining table. “I think the accident kept you from talking about things.”

This was too much, not to mention startlingly _foward_ of his father, to bring it up now, when the two of them were just barely alone. 

He needed to say something. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he murmured. It wasn’t a perfect match, but the sentiment fit.

His father turned back to Link. “It’s fine, now. It’s been a long time. I used to think I’d never be able to talk about it.”

There was a pause as they heard a door open on the floor below, and Captain Edeline emerged from her office. She looked exhausted as she stretched her shoulders, eying the groups of late-night talkers around the mess hall.

Link and Winston watched as she adorned a small smile and walked over to greet the group of squires. Immediately, they ceased their banter and saluted her, but she laughed, the sound carrying up to the balcony as it rang across the stone walls. “At ease,” she insisted. “You all should probably get some rest. It’ll be a long week.” 

With this, she clapped a hand down onto Benji’s shoulder, saying something quieter that Link couldn’t discern. The squires seemed to relax, chuckling amongst themselves. The casual nature of it was unusual, and something about it tipped Link off. “Was the Captain a squire, once?” he asked.

Winston gave his son a questioning look, but then his eyebrows raised in quick understanding. “She was, actually, but that’s not why she’s like that with Benji and the others. She’s legally Benji’s guardian.”

Link’s lips parted in surprise. “I didn’t know that.”

Shrugging, Winston stepped away from the railing and crossed his arms, leaning back against it. “It’s not a big deal. Kind of an open secret, but since Benji is a squire, those in that rank are probably the most wise to it.” He looked up at the ceiling again, as he tended to do when somewhat lost in thought. “But she _was_ a squire once, and is one of the few women in the Imperial Guard to have risen in rank as efficiently as she has. But she never forgot what it was like to be on the bottom.”

 _I see._ Link looked back down at the group of them, observing as the Captain grinned, chatting with the squires in a way Link had never seen a military official do. He remembered earlier this morning - by now it would have been _yesterday_ morning - when Benji had told Link that he needed to run errands with Captain Edeline...he had also been with her when Harker’s body had been pulled out of the moat. It made complete sense in retrospect.

It was a strange revelation. Adopted or otherwise, it meant that Benji, like Link, knew something of having a parent in the Guard. 

Link must have been silent for a little too long, because Winston nudged him with his elbow. “It’ll be okay. The investigation is already underway, and we’ll handle it.”

He hoped they did. Based on how today’s advisory meeting went, things could go south quickly if this situation wasn’t resolved. But there was an extra layer of reassurance in Winston’s words - almost an emphasis of safety that a parent would give to their child. The sentiment settled in Link’s chest restlessly...this wasn’t normal for them. There was never time to act like a family, not here in the castle.

Winston patted Link’s shoulder with a gloved hand. “You should get to bed too.”

Link nodded after a moment. “Thank you for telling me everything,” he said.

“Sure. Tell me if you need anything. G’night.”

As Winston walked away, Link closed his eyes, trying to speed ahead of any emotional whiplash and preemptively gather his thoughts. 

He knew that his father hadn’t wanted to linger on the subject, which was why he’d made the revelation of it so brief, not to mention abrupt. Link couldn’t have blamed him for that even if he’d wanted to. 

Long ago Link had accepted that he wouldn’t ever learn much about his mother. His only extended family were his grandparents on his father’s side - his mother had no family left to speak of. _Mikah._ Winston had never talked about her. Even on her birthday, or their wedding anniversary, he wouldn’t mention the loss, opting instead to take long walks around the city by himself. 

Link inwardly shook his head. It was a terrible way to go, drowning. Now he was doubly convinced of that. This was the last thing he’d expected to learn today. It certainly put his mixed emotions about Harker’s death into perspective, but he knew that Harker’s accident was caused by something completely different. Murder.

Still.

_But we found you, holding her in the sand…_

_You...didn’t talk. For a time at least._

_Trauma…_

Goddess.

Deciding that he was fine and worn enough to try and get some sleep, Link began making his way back up the steps towards his quarters. He crossed his arms as he walked, turning his father’s words over in his head.

He didn’t have anyone he could talk to about this. A normal teenager would probably go to a friend, but Link didn’t have friends around to discuss this with. Just a lot of acquaintances, some closer than others. But... 

Would he tell the Princess about this?

That was a good question. Maybe if she asked, but Link couldn’t imagine her response. If he were in her shoes, he’d have no idea how to react to something like this. He knew she wanted to know him better, partially to make up for how she had treated him in the past. He could respect that. She was a fascinating woman, and the feeling was mutual, but they weren’t… _friends,_ were they? 

They were bound by prophecy. Goddess-chosen coworkers, companions. But even that wasn’t accurate - it wasn’t as though Link wasn’t friends with the other Champions, especially Mipha and Daruk. If they were here, maybe he could talk to them.

He and the Princess were different though, weren’t they? It wasn’t just the prophecy that lofted them, it was their status, especially so here, behind castle walls. The two of them were partners in destiny, a princess and knight. Roles clearly defined.

They could _die_ in a year, maybe less time. 

But that was extreme. And Link was tired, now.

Entering his room and shutting the door behind him, Link wearily kicked off his shoes, removed his shirt, and slipped into bed. As much as he wanted to keep thinking about it, he could feel his mind sluggishly turning over, ready to retire. A back-and-forth with himself wouldn’t do him any good. 

The Princess’s sweet smile floated into his mind, forward and back again as he closed his eyes, the words _maybe, maybe, maybe_ pulsing with his slowing heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small announcement! I'll be reminding you guys of this next chapter as well, but:
> 
> After ch. 6 is posted, I'll be going on a two-week hiatus (possibly 3) for medical stuff. If things go as planned, and the hiatus is only two weeks long, then ch. 7 will be published on March 13th. I'll be keeping y'all updated via tumblr, so go ahead and follow me there (@kittmoon) if you haven't already. influencer status up in here
> 
> see you next friday! :))

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! you can find me on tumblr @kittmoon.


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